The past week has turned out to be a significant one for several members of this season's Arsenal loan army.
Particularly for Omar Rekik , Mika Biereth and Marcelo Flores as they earned matchday recalls for their respective loan clubs after a period on the sidelines. The former, who joined Wigan Athletic on transfer deadline day in January, made his return after a four-game absence in a 1-1 draw against a Birmingham City side that featured fellow loanee Auston Trusty.
Meanwhile, Biereth got a couple of minutes at the end of RKC Waalwijk's 1-0 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven after missing the previous six Eredivisie matches and for the first time in 2023, Flores featured for Real Oviedo as he started their 1-0 loss against Mirandes.
READ MORE: Leandro Trossard injury boost but Arsenal set for late Eddie Nketiah decision before Sporting
However, it was a much quieter weekend for several other Arsenal loanees as for one reason or another Runar Alex Runarsson, Charlie Patino, Miguel Azeez, Ovie Ejeheri, Tyreece John-Jules, Nikolaj Moller, Tom Smith, Kido Taylor-Hart and Billy Vigar did not feature at all for their respective loan clubs over the past week.
But Ainsley Maitland-Niles can lay claim to a pre-assist as Carlos Alcaraz scored the only goal of the game as Southampton beat Leicester City 1-0 and Albert Sambi Lokonga started Crystal Palace's defeat away at Aston Villa.
In the Championship, Marquinhos was an injury-time substitute as Norwich City beat Millwall, Brooke Norton-Cuffy also came off the bench in Coventry City's win over Huddersfield Town, and in League One, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji helped Accrington Stanley come from behind to beat Forest Green.
Mazeed Ogungbo and Taylor Foran both featured for Crawley Town and Hartlepool United respectively, whilst it was a mixed few days for Tim Akinola in a Chesterfield shirt as last Tuesday's 2-1 loss away at Wrexham was followed up with a victory over Gateshead by the same scoreline.
In Scotland, Ryan Alebiosu started Kilmarnock's defeat at Rangers and it was also a defeat for Alex Kirk's Ayr United at home to Inverness.
Across Europe, Arthur Okonkwo kept a clean sheet as Sturm Graz beat Austria Lustenau 2-0, and Monza beat Empoli to move 14 points clear of the relegation zone in Serie A, which means Arsenal are close to banking a £5.9m windfall as per the terms of the loan agreement for Pablo Mari.
With Cedric Soares potentially in action tonight (Monday), football.london has rounded up the main headlines from Arsenal's loanees over the past week.
Pepe update
Nicolas Pepe was once again absent from the Nice matchday squad against Auxerre because of injury, but the good news is that he is closing in on a return to action: "He's done some light running, which is very good. He's really responding very well to everything that has been asked of him so far. It's a good thing," head coach Dider Digard revealed.
"Honestly, as a player, I've suffered from starting again too soon and risking a relapse. I will always try to ensure my players can perform as well as possible for as long as possible, and not just because I need them for an important game. I will always prioritise a player's health."
Balogun loses ground on Mbappe
It's now three goalless Reims games for Folarin Balogun . Judging by the impressive standards that the 21-year-old has set this season, it's the longest he's gone without netting in Ligue 1. As a result, he now trails Kylian Mbappe by three in the race to be named leading scorer.
Nuno Tavares gets harsh rating
Marseille may have bounced back from last weekend's 3-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain by recording a 1-0 win over Rennes on Sunday night, but whilst a former Arsenal left-back in Sead Kolasinac was the hero, Nuno Tavares' performance didn't leave many impressed.
As per Get Football News France, he was given a 3 in their player ratings having 'looked disjointed with plenty of unforced errors and countless lost possessions. Defence-wise, he offered too much freedom to the likes of Toko Ekambi and Truffert.'
READ NEXT:
FA investigating Arsenal celebrations after last-minute Reiss Nelson winner vs Bournemouth
Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard: Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of Sporting CP clash
Jorginho makes Chelsea feelings clear with recent Arsenal Instagram post
Arsenal's next five Premier League fixtures compared to title rivals Man City and Man United
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
