Five players are currently away from Arsenal on loan. Swiss
international defender
Johan Djourou will be getting valuable Premiership experience
after joining newly-promoted Birmingham City until January.
Elsewhere, defender
Matthew Connolly will spend the entire campaign at Championship
club Colchester United while
Kerrea Gilbert and
Jay Simpson will be in League One with Southend United
and Millwall respectively. Promising Mexican striker
Carlos Vela will play his football in Spain with La Liga side
Osasuna.
Keep up-to-date with the fortunes of all our loan stars in our
regular Loan Watch.
Johan Djourou
Bolton 3-0 Birmingham City, December 22
A disastrous day for Johan Djourou as the Swiss star's
Birmingham side conceded three times in the final 18 minutes at
Bolton. El-Hadji Diouf's opener, after a slip by Stephen Kelly,
was followed by a horror moment from Djourou. The loanee, who
returns to the Club in January, threw the ball in the direction of
his goalkeeper only to find former Gunner Nicolas Anelka lurking.
The Frenchman duly rounded the hapless Maik Taylor and slotted home
before notching his second in the dying moments.
Carlos Vela
Osasuna 2-1 Mallorca, December 23
Osasuna moved further clear of the relegation mire with a
hard-fought 3-1 win over Mallorca on Sunday. Carlos Vela entered
the fray after an hour with the scores at 2-1 and his fresh legs
ensured the hosts were in the ascendancy for the remainder of the
game, sealing all three points with a Hugo Viana goal in the final
minute.
Matthew Connolly
Queen's Park Rangers 2-1 Colchester United, December 1
Defeat would have been hard enough to take for Colchester, but the
2-1 reverse against Queen's Park Rangers saw Geraint
William's men slip to the foot of the Championship table. Matt
Connolly was not in the squad for the demoralising defeat as a
classy brace from Akos Buzsaky sealed the victory. Mark Yeates
claimed a consolation with a neat chip.
Jay Simpson
Walsall 3-0 Millwall, December 22
Jay Simpson will be glad not to have been involved as Walsall
dished out a 3-0 humbling of visiting Millwall - all three goals
coming in the final 16 minutes of the first half. Tommy
Mooney's splendid volley got the ball rolling before he
snatched a second after a mix-up in the Lions defence. The
miserable passage of play was completed when Neil Harris turned
Michael Ricketts' cross into his own net.
Kerrea Gilbert
Southend United 0-1 Oldham Ahletic, December 22
A 35-year hoodoo was lifted at Roots Hall on Saturday as Oldham
recorded a long-awaited victory at Southend - once again however
Kerrea Gilbert did not feature. The only goal of the game came on
four minutes when Lee Hughes blasted the ball home from close
range.
