Fabio Vieira and Jakub Kiwior both made their competitive loan debuts on Saturday, but their respective matches had very different outcomes.
With the end of the summer transfer window bringing a few loan exits for Arsenal ahead of the international break, this weekend is the first opportunity to see many of them in action.
Both Fabio Vieira and Jakub Kiwior made their debuts for their loan sides on Saturday, with Vieira starting for HSV in a Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich and Kiwior starting for FC Porto in a Liga Portugal clash with Nacional.
It’s fair to say Vieira’s debut didn’t go to plan, with Bayern romping to a 5-0 victory. Vieira was withdrawn in the 76th minute with the game already done and dusted.
There will be easier fixtures for Vieira and Hamburg in the coming weeks, including next week’s home game against the Bundesliga’s bottom club Heidenheim. But Bayern certainly showed no mercy on Saturday.
Things went much better for Kiwior, who helped FC Porto to a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory. With five wins in five games, Porto lead the Liga Portugal at this early stage.
Kiwior won all five of his individual duels, made two clearances, and blocked one shot, as well as completing 96% of his passes. It was a relatively faultless start to life in Portugal.
Arsenal could have seen three of their loanees making debuts on Saturday, with Reiss Nelson named in the Brentford squad for the first time against Chelsea. But Nelson didn’t end up making an appearance in the 2-2 draw, so his debut will have to wait.
Attentions now turn to Sunday’s matches, with the possibility of debuts for Lucas Nygaard with Brabrand in the Danish third tier and Karl Hein with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.