Each season Arsenal loan a selection of players out to lower league English clubs in a bid to gain more experience when it comes to the physicality of English football. The overall gains of sending a player out on loan hopes to help the players adapt to the style of football over in England or if they're English themselves, prepare them for first team football.
This season saw a whole host of players sent out on loan, but not all returned to Arsenal at the end of their loan spells. Chuks Aneke, Nico Yennaris and Park Chu-Young have all moved on to pastures new after loan spells with Crewe, Bournemouth and Watford respectively.
Aneke has now signed for Belgian side Zulte Waregem. Nico Yennaris meanwhile went on to sign for Brentford and Park has been released. Aneke had a very successful season out at Crewe, building on a positive spell the season before. In 2013/14 he scored an impressive 16 goals in 44 games, which also included six assists. As for Yennaris he has always been on the fringe when going out on loan but at Bournemouth he didn't make a single appearance, only making the bench three times. However, when he joined Brentford permanently, he played eight times. Park Chu-Young meanwhile only played twice for Watford after joining them at the back end of last campaign. Yennaris' and Park's records when going out on loan probably suggest why Arsenal decided to bid them farewell.
The players that spent last season away from Arsenal but will be returning include the likes of Ignasi Miquel, Damian Martinez, Benik Afobe, Hector Bellerin and Chuba Akpom. Miquel and Bellerin both spent loan spells at Championship clubs as they looked to really push for a bigger role in Arsenal's first team for 2014/15. Ignasi Miquel achieved promotion to the Premier League with Leicester as he made 12 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal. The Spanish centre-half has already played a number of games for Arsenal, and even scored a goal for them but whether he is able to earn more this season coming and really establish himself remains to be seen. Hector Bellerin, the 19-year-old attacking full back played eight times for Watford as he looked to continue his promising development having played against West Brom in the League Cup for Arsenal earlier in the season. He was predominantly used as a wing back but didn't always start in what was a mixed loan spell for the Spaniard.
Damian Martinez and Benik Afobe both went out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday. Goalkeeper Martinez had originally been signed on an emergency loan but it was soon extended until the end of the season as he made 11 appearances for the Owls. Afobe joined Sheffield Wednesday after eight months on the side-lines in a bid to return to full fitness and get some games under his belt. Afobe has always had the potential and caught the eye aged 16 but since then, injuries and some disappointing loan spells have halted his progress. Hee managed to score two goals in 10 games, mainly being used as a substitute.
The players that Arsenal did indeed send out on loan had very mixed seasons, and that will most likely have an effect on what happens to them in 2014/15 in terms of whether they stay at Arsenal or get loaned back out again. The pre-season fixtures for both the first team and the Arsenal XI (effectively a second string side) will probably see quite a few of the players mentioned above in action.