Wednesday 27 November 2019

'Previously players were forgotten about' - Inside Arsenal's impressive new loan system

Gunners defender Jordi Osei-Tutu, who is on loan at VfL Bochum, explains the process behind a temporary move and the key figures involved

It’s never long before Jordi Osei-Tutu’s phone rings after a game.

The Arsenal defender may be spending the season on loan in Germany with VfL Bochum, but it’s certainly not a case of out of sight, out of mind.

In fact, it is the complete opposite.

“I’m pretty much in touch with Arsenal every single day to be honest,” Osei-Tutu tells Goal during an exclusive interview. “They also fly out quite a lot to watch my games.

“I’m always in contact with them.”


This is all part of Arsenal’s new approach to the loan system.

In days gone by it may have been that players were left to their own devices while they were away from north London, but that is not the case anymore.

Every detail of their loan is now tracked back in London, with Ben Knapper the man in charge of ensuring every player out on loan makes the most of their time away.

Knapper, who first joined Arsenal from statistical analysis firm Prozone in 2010, was appointed the club’s first ever loan manager in February 2018 and he is certainly making his mark.

“Ben’s been magnificent to be fair,” said Osei-Tutu. “For someone who has just come into the role he’s been perfect.

“He calls me, I call him. He always messages me as well to see how training is going.

“When I play a match, he’ll sit down and watch the game and call me afterwards to give me a summary of how he thought I played, which helps me a lot.





GOAL

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