While some fans will hope for a January window full of big signings and surprising moves, it’s mainly reserved for panic buying and sending the kids out on loan to get some experience.
Any young defender at Arsenal will look at William Saliba’s struggle and realise how tough it’s going to be to actually break into the senior setup just now, so this looks like a good move for Daniel Ballard:
? LOAN EXTENSION ?@DG_Ballard will remain with @BlackpoolFC until the end of the 2020/21 season ?
Keep up the hard work, Dan ? pic.twitter.com/c178AcdUkm
— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) January 5, 2021
The 21 year old defender did spend last season on loan with Swindon Town but he rarely got a look-in with the first team, so it’s positive to see that he’s played in seven league games for Blackpool so far.
The extended loan spell suggests they trust him and believe he’s good enough to keep around so he should have a real chance of establishing himself as a regular starter in the second half of the season.
At his age it’s possible that he won’t ever get a chance to prove himself at Arsenal, but some good performances could definitely help him get a good permanent move when he does move on.