Loan moves will improve Arsenal pair

Arsenal defender Calum Chambers is set to move to Middlesbrough on a season-long loan

With deadline day looming large and a number of clubs scrambling around to get deals over the line it seems like there is an interesting situation developing at Arsenal.

The Gunners have now sealed the signing of Spanish striker Lucas Perez and are seemingly just waiting to confirm German centre-back Shkodran Mustafi as their player.

However, the most interesting situation could be the temporary exit of England’s midfielder saviour Jack Wilshere.

It was reported on Monday that the midfielder will be sent out on loan before the transfer deadline on Wednesday.

Fellow England international Calum Chambers is also close to leaving the club on a temporary basis, as Sky Sports report he is close to signing to Middlesbrough. His exit has been instigated by the signing of Mustafi.

Always in the treatment room

Jack Wilshere has been trumpeted as the future of the England midfield ever since he broke into the Arsenal team at just 16-years-old. Now 24, he has spent more time in the Arsenal treatment room than the clubs physio in the last eight years.

With every passing season goes a chance for the midfielder to establish himself as an actual footballer, rather than just this mythical saviour of the England midfield.

His promise has been hampered by being so injury-prone that last season he made just three appearances. England boss Roy Hodgson rated Wilshere that highly that he took the midfielder to Euro 2016, despite his complete lack of playing time in the 2015/16 campaign.

Hodgson’s replacement Sam Allardyce used better logic by leaving Wilshere out of his squad for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Slovakia. The former-West Ham boss cited a lack of playing time for his omission from the squad.

Wilshere needs to play games and had stiff competition for a place in the centre of midfield at Arsenal. He has made just two substitute appearances for the Gunners.

Full of potential

Jack Wilshere is a player with undoubted potential, but to fulfil that potential he needs to actually stay fit for longer than two minutes. Maybe a move to a new environment will help him succeed in staying injury-free.

Chambers is in a completely different category as a player. He arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2014 as a bright prospect, but the 21-year-old has not been able to nail down a place in the Arsenal defence.

For Chambers, it is more a case of not yet being ready for first-team football at a big club like Arsenal. With the right education, he could fulfil his supposed potential. The youngster impressed in his early days at Arsenal but somehow has not pushed on from those promising displays.

His imminent loan move to Middlesbrough could benefit everybody. Boro boss Aitor Karanka played as a centre-back for Real Madrid at the pinnacle of the game. One of the hallmarks of Karanka’s Boro team has been their defensive solidarity.

Chambers will no doubt learn a lot under the tutelage of the Spanish boss and hopefully, play a lot of first-team football in the north east. It will do Chambers good to learn his trade away from the Gunners and north London.

Everybody wins in loan moves

Arsenal are outsiders for the Premier League title at odds of 10/1, but Chambers or Wilshere’s presence at the club would not have aided the Gunners title chances. Wilshere and Chambers moving on loan in the next few days will mean everybody will win.

Both players are desperate to play first team football and both are good enough to be playing in the Premier League. They no doubt need regular games if they are to kick-start their somewhat flagging careers.

Arsenal will feel that both players have long-term futures at the club, but in the short-term, they would struggle to get into first-team this season. Sitting on the Arsenal bench will do little for the player’s development or confidence.

The teams who are signing the pair will get two decent quality players who can help the club out in the short-term.

In short making temporary moves could be the makings of Calum Chambers and Jack Wilshere. If they stay fit, they will both gain more first-team football and experience, so return to Arsenal as better players next summer.

Is Arsenal right to loan out Chambers and Wilshere?