Arsenal have quite a few players loaned out.
The Gunners have an excellent squad. They have top-quality stars in almost every position, which is why some of the fringe players were never going to get regular opportunities.
Arsenal couldn’t just keep them all at the club – they had to sell a few and loan out the others. Edu Gaspar, when he was still at the helm, did a great job on that front.
However, one player’s loan spell hasn’t been as successful as people thought it would be. He will be back in North London in January.
Marquinhos to return to Arsenal after disappointing loan
Arsenal signed Marquinhos from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2022.
Edu’s connections in Brazil helped the Gunners secure the youngster’s signature over other interested clubs, and there was a lot of excitement around him at the time.
Marquinhos even scored and assisted on his debut for Arsenal, and that gave people even more hope that he could become a star one day.
However, it quickly became very clear that Marquinhos was just not good enough to play regularly for Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta decided to move him on.
The Brazilian spent six months on loan at Norwich at the end of the 2022/23 season. That wasn’t too bad, but Marquinhos then had a disastrous spell on loan at Nantes.
That deal was cut short in January and he was then loaned out to Fluminense. The Brazilian side had an option to turn that move into a permanent deal, but they have now decided against it. The winger will be sent back to Arsenal in January.
South American journalist Uriel Lugt revealed on X: “Fluminense will not exercise the purchase option for Marquinhos. He will return to Arsenal, the owner of his contract.
“A club will be found for him in January.”
READ MORE: Marquinhos was given a new nickname that once belonged to an Arsenal legend
Could Marquinhos get another chance at Arsenal?
Marquinhos’ signing was a bit of a surprise in 2022, but everybody trusted Edu’s decision to bring him in because of his expertise in Brazil.
The Brazilian is a talented footballer, but with Bukayo Saka in the side, he was never going to get into the team on a regular basis.
When Marquinhos returns to Arsenal in January, Mikel Arteta will have the option of using him as a backup to Saka on the right wing – there’s no other left-footed right-winger in the squad.
However, we think Marquinhos’ Arsenal career is done, and the likeliest scenario in January will be to see the 21-year-old move on permanently.
It will be interesting to see who will sign Marquinhos after his underwhelming spell away on loan.
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