Many of our Men’s, Women’s and Academy players have been sent out on loan this season to gain experience and further action.
Jakub Kiwior and Porto were embroiled in a double dose of Portuguese derbies over the past week, first suffering defeat by Sporting in the Taca de Portugal semi-final by a 1-0 scoreline. Jakub was a substitute shortly before half-time in that midweek tie, before playing the full 90 minutes of a dramatic 2-2 league draw at Benfica at the weekend. The Dragaos still lead the Liga Portugal table by four points, with nine games to go.
In France, it was a case of heartache and quickfire revenge for Ethan Nwaneri and Marseille against Toulouse in recent days. Ethan was introduced at half-time of Wednesday’s Coupe de France quarter-final which ended 2-2 and went to a penalty shootout, from which Les Violets came out on top. Then on Sunday, it was an away trip in Ligue 1 against the same opponents, with Ethan on the bench as Marseille secured a pivotal 1-0 win – remaining third in the table.
There was a league double for Hamburg in the Bundesliga in the week, which meant plenty of action for an in-form Fabio Vieira. The midfielder played the full match on Wednesday as his side were slenderly beaten 1-0 by Bayer Leverkusen, whom we visit in the Champions League this week. Fabio then featured for 24 minutes on the road at Wolfsburg, as HSV responded with a 2-1 victory to go 10th in the league.
Elsewhere in Germany, goalkeeper Karl Hein was among the substitutes for Werder Bremen as they secured back-to-back victories in some style, courtesy of Sunday’s 4-1 rout away at Union Berlin. The result takes Werder 13th, with nine games to play and survival the key mission.
Reiss Nelson missed Brentford’s 0-0 midweek stalemate with Bournemouth in the Premier League due to a calf issue, while Charles Sagoe Jr played 76 more minutes in the Swedish Cup group stage for Kalmar as they recovered from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Orgryte on Saturday.
In League Two, Ismeal Cabia was back in from the start for Shrewsbury Town, who sealed another impressive win for their 2026 portfolio. Ismeal’s full 90 contributed to a 3-2 win at Chesterfield, with the Salop now a whopping 13 points clear of relegation threat in 17th.
Louie Copley was not involved for Crawley Town as they recovered to draw 2-2 with Swindon Town on Saturday, helping their survival bid in League Two, while Will Sweet was named on the bench in a 1-0 win for Dagenham & Redbridge against Dorking Wanderers in the National League South.
Due to internationals, none of our Women’s loanees represented their clubs over the course of the week. However, Rosa Kafaji played 16 minutes for Sweden on Saturday in a goalless draw with Serbia in their World Cup qualifying campaign. Rosa was also in the squad for Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Italy, linking up with fellow Gunners Stina Blackstenius and Smilla Holmberg.
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