Arsenal loanee debuts just 1 day after move is confirmed

Arsenal youth winger Ismeal Kabia only completed a move to St. Mirren on Saturday, but he’s already made his competitive debut for the club against Rangers.

Rangers are obviously one of the best teams in Scotland, and it showed in Sunday’s Scottish League Cup match. By the time Kabia left the pitch in the 59th minute, the hosts were already 4-1 up, and they went on to win 5-1.

All the same, Kabia getting almost an hour in a first start for his new loan side is a good start, and it looks like St. Mirren intend to give him plenty of minutes this season.

Arsenal’s only other loanee is Charles Sagoe Jr., currently on a calendar-year spell with Kalmar FF in the Swedish first tier.

Sagoe Jr. has been a regular in the Kalmar team since March, and he’s performing excellently, with four goals and eight assists in his 19 appearances.

But the 22-year-old didn’t notch a goal or assist in Sunday’s game against Hammarby, a resounding 4-0 defeat. Neither Kabia nor Sagoe Jr. will be too happy with their team’s results on this occasion.

All the same, the point of going on loan is to play football and gain some experience. On that front, things are going well for both players.

You can never guarantee results, even if a loanee is performing well on an individual basis. But if they’re playing, Arsenal will be happy.