Arsenal have been flying in the Premier League so far this season with 21 points from their opening eight matches, a start which has seen Mikel Arteta's side occupy top spot for the entirety of the campaign.
Key players from last term, such as Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale, have developed further whilst the integration of new signings, such as Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and the returning loanee William Saliba have taken the Gunners to the next level.
Albeit a major improvement on the previous season, last term ended with a whimper for Arteta's men as they narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification after it had been in their hands for so long.
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That being said, players surplus to requirements for the 2022/23 campaign were identified and subsequently sold or sent out on loan. The north London outfit currently have five players out on loan, but how have they fared thus far. Here is how they currently rank according to average ratings from WhoScored.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - Southampton (6.09/10)
Although he has played just 84 minutes for Southampton, Maitland-Niles' loan spell at fellow Premier League outfit Southampton hasn't started well. The versatile midfielder was handed his first start since arriving on the south coast on Saturday against Everton, however, the 25-year-old struggled to make an impact as the Saints lost 2-1.
Having now gone out on loan three times since January 2021, there are certainly question marks as to how much longer the Englishman will be contracted to Arsenal, with it looking increasingly unlikely that he will eventually be given the opportunity to play a part in Arteta's plans.
Pablo Mari - Monza (6.61/10)
After a slow start to the season, Mari was involved in one of the biggest football stories of the season so far as newly-promoted Monza, who had never played in Serie A before prior to this season, beat 36-time winners Juventus 1-0 with the Spaniard playing the full 90 minutes.
The defender also played the full match against Sampdoria on Sunday where Monza picked up another famous win, running out 3-0 victors away from home.
Like with Maitland-Niles, it's tricky to see where the 29-year-old could play a part at the Emirates after his loan spell. However, after five appearances and with the Italian underdogs 16th in Serie A, good performances could warrant a permanent move next term.
Nicolas Pepe - OGC Nice (6.74/10)
Since arriving at Arsenal in 2019, Pepe has had a cloud over his head with the pressures that come from being a club-record £72million signing. Over the course of three seasons, the Ivorian made 112 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 27 goals and providing 21 assists. This means that every goal involvement so far has cost Arsenal £1.5million.
Surplus to requirements, the former Lille man has returned to Ligue 1 for the season with Nice and has one goal in eight appearances to his name thus far with the French side currently sat in mid-table in 13th.
Runar Alex Runarsson - Alanyaspor (6.77/10)
Having joined Arsenal from Dijon as their reserve goalkeeper in 2020, Runarsson's time at the Emirates hasn't gone to plan with six appearances for the Gunners to date.
The Iceland international has since had loan spells with Belgian side OH Leuven and current side Alanyaspor out in Turkey with the 27-year-old conceding 11 goals in his six appearances this term. He is also yet to keep a clean sheet.
Auston Trusty - Birmingham City (7.03/10)
24-year-old Trusty is yet to make an appearance for any Arsenal side after joining from MLS outfit Colorado Rapids in January, before returning to his home nation on loan until the summer.
The centre-back was sent out on loan again, this time to the Championship to get experience of English football and the American has impressed thus far, playing the full 90 minutes of Birmingham City's 11 league matches thus far.
Blues currently sit 15th in the second tier and were favourites for relegation before the season started, but Trusty will be gaining valuable experience and Arteta will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on his progress.
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