The recently concluded Premier League season marked Arsenal’s fifth anniversary without a UEFA Champions League appearance.
With the new term approaching, Arsenal will be looking to claim a top 4 spot and make a return to the Champions League.
Arteta has equipped his side with the signing of Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, and Marquinhos.
With the introduction of these new signings to his trail-blazing young squad, Arteta is set to make a mark with the Gunners this new season.
In his bid to compete, Arteta will also give returning loan players a chance to impress and challenge for a spot on his XI.
On that note, here are three returning loanees the Spanish manager can count on to stand out for Arsenal in the 2022/2023 campaign:
Reiss Nelson
Since his first senior appearance in an Arsenal shirt in July 2017, Nelson experienced an inconsistent run of games for the first team. The 22-year-old’s lack of competitive game time saw him hand in a loan move request – securing a loan move to Hoffenheim.
With the calibre of players in Arsenal’s attack, the English winger was loaned out to Feyenoord in August 2021 to get game time. The young star was featured 21 times in all competitions and scored two goals for the Dutch team.
After his return from injury at Feyenoord, he enjoyed a consistent run of senior game time. He featured as a starter in each of Feyenoord’s knockout games on their path to the Europa Conference League final.
Through his loan spell at Feyenoord, Nelson has grown into a clinical finisher with exceptional dribbling abilities. He has become an exciting prospect and will be a valuable addition to Arteta’s attack.
William Saliba
Boasting one of the youngest squads in the Premier League, Arsenal fans are excited about the prospect of William Saliba returning to Arsenal.
The French centre-back will be heading to North London after three successive loan spells at Marseille to claim his spot as a regular for the Gunners.
Saliba enjoyed successful loan spells at Saint-Étienne, Nice, and Marseille over the past three seasons. In his most recent loan stint, the Frenchman featured 36 times for the Olympians, who finished second in the league.
He played a significant role in Marseille’s European football quest last season. His stellar performances also contributed to him being awarded Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year and included in the team of the year.
Further boosting the 22-year-old’s hopes of getting regular game time at Arsenal would be his ability to play out of tight spaces and use passes to beat the high press, which aligns with Arteta’s philosophy.
Folarin Balogun
Arsenal’s academy has produced several exciting young stars, and Folarin Balogun is one of them. After being scouted at the age of eight while playing for Aldersbrook, a Sunday league side, Balogun joined the Arsenal academy in 2009.
Developing through the academy, Balogun was handed his first professional contract for Arsenal in February 2019.
Balogun was loaned to Championship side Middlesbrough in January 2022 due to a lack of game time at Arsenal. The 20-year-old sought to make a difference and was hugely influential in Middlesbrough’s 7th position finish in the Championship last season. Balogun hit the back of the net thrice in 18 appearances for Chris Wilder’s side.
Balogun has an exceptional ability to play as an anchor man in attack. His exceptional dribbling abilities and pace add value to the attack. He is also good in 1v1 situations.
Following the summer departure of Alexandre Lacazette, Balogun’s return to Arsenal could see him slot in as Arsenal’s centre-forward.
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