Arsenal has sent Nikolaj Moller to German 3.Liga side FC Viktoria Koln on loan for the 2021/2022 campaign as he looks to gain valuable first-team experience, the club has announced.
The 19-year-old Swede only joined the Gunners last October, but he formed a fine striking partnership with Folarin Balogun in the Arsenal Under23 squad.
He scored eight times and assisted three for the Under 23s and would now look to gain valuable first-team experience in Germany.
Several top quality strikers including his strike partner, Balogun block the path to the first team at the Emirates.
He scored on his PL2 debut against Manchester City last season and ended the campaign by scoring in consecutive matches.
He will hope to carry that form into the new campaign and playing regular first-team in Germany will make him an even better attacker when he returns.
Arsenal has at least four first-team strikers in their squad at the moment and they are interested in Tammy Abraham.
Their interest in the Chelsea man means that Mikel Arteta is prepared to sacrifice any of the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette as they have enter the last year of their current contracts.
The club is also strengthening other parts of their squad and it will be interesting to see how it looks when the transfer window closes.
Moller has done consistently well at PLII and has a very good future with Arsenal. Ideally Laca should be given a 1-2 year extension instead of going in for Abraham. By the time Laca leaves us, Moller is ready to replace him.
Would anyone wish to see Laca’s performance decline after signing a contract extension?
NO.
Would Laca’s performances drop after signing a contract extension?
Possibly.
Is it healthy for the club’s future to give a contract extension to 30 year old Laca this summer?
NO.
Will Laca stay with us if we qualify for UCL next season? Highly Probable.
Will we qualify for UCL next season?
50/50.
Will we need Laca in the squad for next season, if we qualify for UCL?
Yes, if he made a telling contribution this season.
Will we need Laca in the squad for next season, if we don’t qualify for UCL?
No. We’ll have Balogun, Martinelli and Moller with another season’s experience under their belts.
Does Laca deserve a contract extension for his contribution to UCL qualification?
A one year extension will be fair with an option for an additional year.
Will losing Laca for nothing next summer be considered a huge loss?
Won’t be the first time after Ramsey, Ozil, Auba and Willian fiasco in recent seasons.
Ideally, it would be better to utilize Laca’s abilities this season and make a decision on his contract at the end of the new season based on where the club finish in the league table and his contribution to the team.
I have often wondered why a Club like Arsenal never had a close association with an English side in the lower Leagues who I am sure would welcome loanees with open arms.It would be less disruptive for the player concerned and it would surely be easier to monitor his progress closer at hand.Lots of gems have been unearthed from the lower Leagues in England but we seem unwilling to trawl this area and are obliged to dig deep for the likes of Ben White once he has established a reputation when the trick is to identify his quality in the early stages of his career.Perhaps the lack of a conventional scouting network at home is the reason for our apparent reluctance to set up an “association” with a lower league side?
Why waste years on scouting, coaching and keeping track on the progress, when solutions can be easily found over a dinner with a super-agent?