In what I think is rather disappointing news today, it seems that Arsenal youngster Jon Toral is set to be sent out on loan again this summer, with Spanish side Granada set to sign the young midfielder on a season long loan.
Many fans had hoped that Toral would’ve been promoted to the first team this year, after two very impressive and consistent back to back seasons at Brentford and Birmingham respectively. After seeing Jeff Reine-Adelaide on first team duties during the start of pre-season, it looked quite possible that Wenger was looking to promote some more youth into his first team plans. However it seems as if Toral will not be so lucky and instead he is set for his third loan spell in three years.
At 21 years old time is running out for Toral to make an impact at Arsenal, because although Toral is still young, usually at around this age the club begins to think about letting young players go if they are yet to make a good impression. The recent transfer of Isaac Hayden to Newcastle just goes to show that. Unfortunately for Toral he hasn’t exactly been able to make an impression at Arsenal, because he is yet to actually make his competitive debut for the club.
Toral, who signed for Arsenal alongside Hector Bellerin from Barcelona back in 2011, has featured for Arsenal during a few pre-season matches, but has never stuck around for the start of the season with the Gunners. It looks to be the same story again this season, which really surprises me due to his impressive years at Brentford and Birmingham. In fact at Birmingham last season, Toral was even named as the Player’s Player of the Year and the Supporter’s Player of the Year, which just goes to show what a fantastic set of performances the midfielder had for the club over the course of the season.
I wouldn’t have expected Toral to feature time and time again for Arsenal on a regular basis, but first team opportunities for the Spaniard would’ve been vitally important for his development and so the club can see what this player has to offer. Has Wenger missed a trick on this one? I feel that this could be Toral’s last year at the club, in which it sadly turns out that he isn’t going to be a star that makes it at Arsenal, even though he’s never really been given the chance to do so.
By AH