Hoyte joins Watford on loan as Barazite extends Derby spell

With the January transfer window set to open at midnight there has already been some significant movement as far as Arsenal’s youngsters are concerned. After the Carling Cup defeat to Burnley earlier this month, Arsene Wenger said “Jay Simpson, Gavin Hoyte and Kieran Gibbs might go on loan” and two of those have already done so. News of Jay Simpson’s temporary move to West Brom filtered through last week and it has now been confirmed by both clubs.

Also this afternoon, it has emerged that Hoyte will join Watford on loan tomorrow. The England u-19 international recently signed a new long-term contract with the club and looks set to be a regular for the Hornets until the end of the season. Gavin made his Premier League debut against Manchester City last month and, whilst nobody in an Arsenal shirt had a day to remember on that occasion, his weaknessess showed and this should be a useful experience for him to play regularly at a decent level. At least he won’t have any problems finding Watford’s training ground as it’s situated directly next to Arsenal’s!

Hoyte could be coming up against Nacer Barazite in the Championship later this season after the Dutch winger extended his loan spell with Derby until the end of the campaign as well as signing a new long-term contract with the Gunners. Nacer has done well for the Rams so far and has weighed in with several assists, catching the eye of caretaker manager Chris Hutchings.

“It is a big boost to have secured Nacer’s services for the rest of the season, including the cup matches now.

“He is a fantastic talent, with lots still to learn of course, and he has applied himself well since he’s been here.

“We are grateful to Arsenal to extending the loan. I think they know he is in very good hands here, at a first-class club.”

As mentioned there, Nacer will now be able to feature in Cup matches for the Rams as he no longer runs the risk of being cup-tied. Arsenal prevented him from appearing in the early rounds of the Carling Cup in case he returned to Emirates mid-season but that is no longer the case.

Nacer said:

“I’m delighted to be staying. I have really enjoyed the time I’ve spent here so far and am looking forward to learning more and playing my part.

“Obviously I am now eligible for the Carling Cup semi finals and the FA Cup, so will be doing my best in training to be involved in those matches.

“It has been a great experience being at Derby County and I’m thankful to Arsenal for letting me continue here for the rest of the season.”

So, there are now ten young Gunners out on loan (Barazite, Gilbert, Botelho, Senderos, van den Berg, Dunne, Ogogo, Simpson, Traore and Hoyte) and there could yet be more before February 2nd.

Top five Arsenal youngsters to watch in 2009

2008 has been a fantastic year for Arsenal’s youngsters and saw the progress of Jack Wilshere and Vito Mannone to the first-team squad. Several other players made their first-team debuts whilst the u-18s reached the semi-final of the Premier Academy League. Read on to find out about five youngsters who could make it big in 2009.

1] BENIK AFOBE

After impressing in the u-16s last season (40 goals in 33 appearances), Benik was the star of the show as England u-16s retained the Victory Shield this year, scoring four goals in the process. He has also made the step up to the Arsenal u-18s with two goals in three appearances and a Reserve team call-up cannot be far away. Big things are expected of Benik, who is not eligible to sign a scholarship until the summer.

2] JOSH REES

A few people weren’t too impressed with Josh’s debut for England u-16s, but, unless you’re Arsene Wenger, you can’t judge a player on 40 minutes of football. A tidy box-to-box central midfielder, injuries held Josh back at the start of the year but he is now fit and raring to go. His ambition will be to break into the u-18s next season.

3] IGNASI MIQUEL

Unknown to many when signed from UD Cornella in February, tall centre-back Ignasi played a crucial role for Arsenal at the Zinedine Zidane tournament success in Cannes, before going on to star for the u-16s. He made his u-18s debut in the 2-1 reverse to Norwich City and is set to enjoy a prolonged run in the side in 2009.

4] ZACK ANSAH

There always seems to be at least one extremely talented schoolboy in Arsenal’s ranks and this year it could be the turn of Zack Ansah. I first brought Zack to your attention after revealing that he was one of the players who Arsene Wenger deemed ‘has nothing to learn technically’. Comfortable playing either on the left-wing or up-front Zack is already a regular in the u-16s and has a grabbed a fair share of goals so far at that level. 2009 promises to be a big year for him with an England u-16 call up beckoning plus the possiblilty of breaking into the u-18s whilst still a schoolboy.

5] PEDRO BOTELHO

At 19 years of age, Pedro can be considered a veteran in comparison to some of the other youngsters discussed in this article, but he is yet to make his competitive debut for the Gunners having spent the last year on loan at Salamanca in Spain. All going well, he will return to London in the summer and take his place in the first-team squad. Known for his rash temperament, which saw him sent off for Salamanca recently, Pedro is a skilful left-back who can also play as a left-winger.