Miguel Azeez has joined Portsmouth on loan for the current season, but Arsenal have included a recall clause in the deal.
The Gunners could well consider bringing the young central midfielder back to north London in the winter, especially with both Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey set to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations early in 2022.
That would leave us with just Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as options, with the latter pair yet to prove that they can be relied on in the role.
Should Azeez impress, with one or both of AMN or Lokonga struggling to prove themselves to the manager, I wouldn’t be shocked if we were to bring our highly-rated youngster back to cover for the absence of our African players, and he could well be the latest academy product to thrive in our first-team.
We already have the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Maitland-Niles, Folarin Balogun and Eddie Nketiah featuring for the senior side, and both Charlie Patino and Azeez are both likely to be next in line to get their chance.
Should Arsenal have considered keeping Azeez for the current season with the senior side?
Patrick