The Shropshire Star report that Shrewsbury Town are targeting Arsenal’s Charles Sagoe Jr. for a loan move this summer, adding that the player would sign a new contract with the Gunners before completing the switch.
That would certainly make sense, with Sagoe Jr. only having a year left on his current contract with Arsenal.
If the Gunners want to avoid losing the winger for no more than a training compensation fee next summer, they have to extend his deal before loaning him out.
The loan would be the second of Sagoe Jr.’s, as he spent a few months with Swansea City in 2023/24. But the Championship loan didn’t go to plan.
Sagoe Jr. didn’t take long to get involved with Swansea, making a substitute appearance just a couple of days after signing, and another 10 days later.
The problem was that his loan never progressed from there. He sat on the bench for a couple of games, then dropped out of the squad completely for the remainder of the season.
It was a frustrating situation for a young player who had scored three goals and assisted 10 in 16 appearances for the Arsenal u21s in the first half of the season, as well as making his first-team debut against Brentford in the League Cup.
Sagoe Jr. clearly deserved more of a chance than he got at Swansea, and by the end of the season he’d actually played more minutes for Arsenal’s first team than his Championship loan side.
With any luck, the drop down to League One will allow the youngster to play more regularly in 2024/25, and his new contract will secure his value for future transfer windows.
