Arsenal have promoted senior football analyst, Ben Knapper to the position of loan manager, starting next month.
The Gunners are following a rising trend in Europe’s top leagues of appointing separate personnel altogether to oversee the club’s loan operations. Young and highly talented starlets such as Reiss Nelson continue to shoot out of the Arsenal academy and someone in particular needs to check the players’ growth outside of the club.
Nelson has struck the back of the net 6 times since being loaned out to TSG Hoffenheim last summer. The North London club have six other players out on loan – David Ospina (Napoli), Kelechi Nwakali (Porto B), Calum Chambers (Fulham), Matt Macey (Plymouth), Takuma Asano (Hannover 96) and Krystian Bielik (Charlton).
Knapper joined Arsenal back in 2010 from sports data and technology company, Prozone. He main roles till date were to analyse the team’s performances but from the next month will be to decide which players are to be loaned out and where.
We have already seen academy products like Alex Iwobi, Joe Willock, Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Edward Nketiah break into the senior squad despite the introduction of high profile names through the transfer windows.
All of them are forcing Unai Emery’s hand for more playing time and soon assistance will be required in handling such issues.
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