Arsenal find themselves reaping the benefits of patiently integrating William Saliba into the side for the first time this season despite signing him three years ago.
The Frenchman arrived as an exciting 18-year-old talent with a £27 million price tag on his shoulders and although many believed he should be thrown straight into the mix, the decision was taken to loan him out for three consecutive seasons in a bid to further his progress and development.
However, a number of standout performances during last season's loan with Marseille saw Saliba pick up several Player of the Month awards, before eventually being named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. He also became a senior France international during his time at the Stade Velodrome.
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As a result, the now 21-year-old today finds himself as a regular starter in Arsenal's backline and the experience he has gained out on loan is clear for all to see. Stronger, faster, intelligent and composed, Saliba is quickly developing into a complete defender. You could argue that the centre-back may have been in a similar position even if he stayed put back in 2019 due to his natural talent, but it is the loan spells that have ultimately made him a better person both on and off the pitch.
Mikel Arteta has expressed his delight with Saliba's contribution, particularly after the win over AFC Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago in which the Frenchman found the top corner with a beautiful strike.
"That is individual talent and a moment of quality that he showed, but I am really pleased with his performance," Arteta said. "What he is doing at 21 years old is rare. He remains really humble. He wants to learn, he wants to train every day and he is really demanding of himself and he is giving a lot to the team."
Whilst Saliba finds himself back at the club after proving his quality elsewhere, others are having to follow in his footsteps this season. One of them is Folarin Balogun, who is also hoping to gain Arteta's attention in Ligue 1, that's if he hasn't already. The young striker has found opportunities hard to come by despite signing a new deal last year following promotion to the first-team squad.
There was hope that a January loan to Championship side Middlesbrough would help get the Hale End product back on track and although plenty of opportunities came his way, I doubt he would have been satisfied with three goals in 21 appearances. However, it would appear Balogun has finally found his feet at Stade Reims.
The 21-year-old has already bettered his record from his previous loan spell, scoring four goals and providing one assist in five games. He has also won two penalties, highlighting just how much of a nuisance he has been for the opposition. There's no doubt that Balogun, who is only valued between £3.4m - £6m by CIES Football Observatory, has what it takes to make it at Arsenal. 75 goals in 103 appearances at U18 and U21 level just goes to show the goalscoring prowess he naturally possesses, similarly to Eddie Nketiah.
If Balogun can keep up this impressive run of form and maintain the consistency in front of goal, then his chances of playing an important part at Arsenal next season will only increase.
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