Arsenal’s movements for their loan players

Allowing Arthur Okonkwo to join SK Sturm Graz on loan

Arthur Okonkwo's time with Crewe Alexandra has come to an end after 26 appearances in all competitions and 10 clean sheets. He said goodbye on Instagram as a loan move to Austrian club Sturm Graz was formally revealed on Monday morning.

Arthur Okonkwo

The official page of Arsenal announced:

"Arthur Okonkwo has been recalled from his loan at Crewe Alexandra and has joined SK Sturm Graz on loan for the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old goalkeeper has already made 26 appearances in all competitions for Crewe Alexandra this season and will now spend the second half of the campaign playing in the Austrian Bundesliga."

• Arsenal Transfer News: Amadou Onana Issue Surfaces as Borussia Dortmund Shows Interest in Wonderkid
• Report: Bayern Munich Set to Lose Out on Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu

With the confirmation of this loan agreement, Okonkwo joins Miguel Azeez and Brooke Norton-Cuffy, who made their debuts for Wigan Athletic and Coventry City, respectively, over the weekend, as the third Arsenal player to switch loan teams already this month.

Considering the form of other players in clubs

It was a busy weekend for people with connections to Arsenal up and down the English football pyramid as well as throughout Europe, despite the absence of players like Ovie Ejeheri, Tom Smith, Alex Runarsson, Nuno Tavares, Marcelo Flores, Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand, Mazeed Ogungbo, Tim Akinola, and Tyreece John-Jules for their respective loan clubs for a variety of reasons.

In the Netherlands, Omar Rekik made his first appearance for Sparta Rotterdam since October when he came on as a late substitute to help them defeat Excelsior. Mika Biereth started for RKC Waalwijk once more but was unable to stop them from losing 2-1 to Volendam.

Omar Rekik

Auston Trusty had a miserable afternoon as Birmingham City gave up four on the road at Bristol City, and Harry Clarke played the final 11 minutes of Stoke City's 3-1 loss at Sheffield United. Meanwhile, in the Championship, Charlie Patino played the whole 90 minutes as Blackpool fell to Watford.

Alex Kirk began for Ayr United in their 2-2 draw at home against Arbroath, and Ryan Alebiosu entered the game in the 87th minute as Kilmarnock lost to Celtic 2-0 in the Scottish Cup semifinals, north of the border in Scotland.

Maitland-Niles had a fantastic week in a Southampton shirt as well. Southampton defeated Manchester City to advance to the Carabao Cup semifinals, and on Saturday, they overcame a deficit to defeat Everton, moving them to within a point of escaping the relegation zone. For the 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola's team, the versatile midfielder himself was not named to the matchday squad and only appeared for the final five minutes as a substitute at Goodison Park.

Maitland-Niles

Arsenal is also interested in Pablo Mari, who currently plays for Monza. Monza finished the weekend with an 11-point lead over the bottom-half of the table, and it's worth repeating that Arsenal will earn a €7 million (£5.9 million) transfer windfall at the end of the football season. According to prior London reports, Pablo Mari's loan agreement includes a requirement to be converted to a permanent contract provided the team avoids the relegation.

The defender played another 90 minutes in the 3-2 victory over Cremonese. However, after losing an aerial battle with Daniel Ciofani in the build-up, the Spaniard wasn't too hurt by his contribution to Cyriel Dessers' goal, which created a tense finish.

Arsenal may recall Pepe

Prior to Sunday's Arsenal victory over Tottenham, a player from north London briefly took control of the Stade Auguste Delaune during the Ligue 1 match between Reims and Nice. Folarin Balogun faced Nicolas Pepe in the home corner; however, there was little difference between the two teams as the game ended in a scoreless tie.

Nicolas Pepe

Strangely, after witnessing Chelsea sabotage the £88 million deal for Mykhailo Mudryk, some Arsenal supporters have been advocating the notion of summoning Pepe back from his loan.

"Arsenal should just recall Pepe."  "Now recall Pepe from his loan." He will add the needed depth. "#Arsenal" many fans commented.

Arsenal Secure £30m Agreement to Sign Goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford

Arsenal have successfully finalized a £30 million accord with Brentford pertaining to the acquisition of goalkeeper David Raya, positioning him to emerge as the forthcoming marquee addition in Mikel Arteta's roster. The talented Spaniard has already concurred upon personal stipulations with Arsenal and is on the brink of undertaking his medical evaluation with the club during the ensuing week, paving the way for his official introduction as a fresh recruit.