Arsenal’s loans and pathways manager Ben Knapper has confirmed that he is leaving the club to join Championship side Norwich City.

Knapper has been at Arsenal for 13 years, and has been the Loan manager since 2019, helping the club find the best destinations for their best emerging talent.

He is now departing to take up a director of football role at Norwich City, with no confirmation yet on who will replace him.

Edu praises Ben Knapper

Arsenal director Edu Gaspar has now praised Knapper for the work he did as a loan manager, which sometimes included some vital decisions over deals.

“He has been a huge asset to us during his career at Arsenal, where he has developed through our performance analysis teams to become our highly successful Loans and Pathway Manager,” Edu stated on Friday.

“Ben has played a key role in the positive development of so many of our men’s players over the years, where he has driven a part of our football strategy to give our players the best possible experience, to ensure they return to us with enhanced qualities to continue their careers with us or elsewhere.”

Arsenal’s loan successes and failures

Right now, Arsenal’s loanees do not seem to be thriving. 11 of the 20 players out on loan are hardly featuring for their clubs, with some injured and some failing to impress at their temporary clubs.

The main loanees include Kieran Tierney and Albert Sambi Lokonga, who are both injured at Real Sociedad and Luton Town respectively.

In the past, successes have included William Saliba’s loan move to Marseille, Joe Willock’s loan to Newcastle and Folarin Balogun’s loan to Stade De Reims. Saliba used his loan to develop into a key player, whilst Willock and Balogun quickly gained value and were sold for significant fees after their loan spells away.

Knapper has done a good job overall, and Edu will now have to seek out a replacement to help keep an eye on the progress of Arsenal’s loanees.

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