Report: Arsenal expect ‘very impressive’ teen to leave on loan with Azeez, have offered him out

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Arsenal expect Zak Swanson will leave the club on loan before next Tuesday’s transfer deadline after offering the defender out to potential suitors, according to football.london.

Academy Manager Per Mertesacker wants several of the Gunners’ highly-rated prospects to leave and gain first-team experience elsewhere this season. The north London outfit sent a list of available players out to British clubs this summer trying to establish moves.

Miguel Azeez is likely to be one of the first to leave Arsenal on a temporary transfer with the striker set to join Portsmouth. Pompey have courted the 18-year-old as manager Danny Crowley looks to establish a promotion-worth League One outfit, per Hampshire Live.

Arsenal have given Azeez permission to move to Fratton Park on a season-long loan, and could debut this weekend. The Gunners also hope to secure temporary homes for Tim Akinola, Ryan Alebiosu, Ben Cottrell, and Swanson before Tuesday’s deadline.

Swanson has been at Arsenal for more than a decade and north London figures expect a loan transfer will occur. The defender was included in the list of players sent out to clubs, as Mertesacker chases a better move than the 20-year-old’s brief spell at MVV Maastricht.

After moving to De Geusselt in August 2020, Swanson played just three times for the Dutch outfit across all competitions. Arsenal eventually recalled the Florida-born ace in December and has scored once in two PL2 fixtures already this term.

Arsenal must secure better move than Maastricht for Swanson

Mertesacker will be desperate to find Swanson a better move than Maastricht if he leaves Arsenal this summer. His Sterrendragers adventure was short-lived and ultimately marked a wasted period of the defender’s developing career.

Swanson has shown potential in the Gunners’ youth ranks to warrant a worthwhile transfer this summer. Former U23s boss Steve Bould was full of praise for the youngster after facing Leroy Sane in early 2020.

“I thought Zak was our best player tonight,” Bould told Arsenal’s club website. “It was a great test for him, even though Sane isn’t going to be playing at his best as it was one of his first games back [from a knee injury]. Zak was very impressive, and he has been all season in all fairness. I think he’s been one of our top two players for the whole of the season.”