Just Arsenal News

Sanchez Watt has joined Leeds United on loan for the entire duration of this season and Arsenal have given him special permission to face his own team when the game takes place later today at the Emirates in the FA Cup third round.

It is a rare occurrence that a loanee plays against his full-time employers but skipping the game is something that Arsene Wenger finds irritating:

“I always said that when you give the player on loan it was a bit unfair not to let him play against you, because it gives an advantage to the other clubs, I had the case many times, and always gave permission for the players to play. Before in the Premiership, you could give permission for the player to play, and I always did.

“When you give a player out on loan, you cannot forbid him to play against you.”

I have to disagree with Arsene on this. The priority should be getting a result for Arsenal football club. The development of the player has to go out the window when we are talking results, qualification for the next round of the cup and trophies. Just as Arsenal is bigger than Arsene Wenger, Arsenal is also bigger than any of the players at the club.

The manager tried to lighten the mood by joking that he hoped Watt would not feature against his team due to his goalscoring and creative threat:

“Sanchez Watt is a player who is left-footed, talented, good on the ball and a good dribbler.

“He will certainly put every effort in and I hope he will not play tomorrow!”

Sanchez Watt scored on his Arsenal debut last season and backed that up with two decent substitute performances. Sanchez is seen as a classy young player with a big future at Arsenal.