"You learn your trade" - Arsenal legend says Mikel Arteta's decision on 2 players has already been vindicated

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has claimed that the loan deals of left-back Nuno Tavares and striker Folarin Balogun have proved to be good business for his former club this summer.

Tavares, who joined the Gunners from Benfica for around £8 million last summer, failed to impress in his debut campaign at the Emirates. He made 28 appearances across competitions, scoring one goal and giving two assists. However, Tavares' poor marking and low concentration put him under scrutiny, most notably during the tail-end of the campaign.

The left-back has joined Marseille on a season-long loan following the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko at the club. Meanwhile, Academy graduate Balogun joined Reims on loan at the turn of the month after scoring 13 goals in 11 Premier League matches last season.

Both Tavares and Balogun have relished a brilliant start to the 2022-23 season in France.

While the Portuguese defender scored his second goal in as many matches during Marseille's 1-1 draw at Brest on August 14, Balogun has contributed two goals and an assist in just 89 minutes of action for Reims.

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell shared his two cents on the Arsenal pair. When asked if their early success vindicates Arsenal's decision to send them out on loan, he said:

"100 percent. [William] Saliba went out on loan, came back and now he is ready. Nuno Tavares struggled at times last season. He started off well but struggled come the end of the season. Going away and playing regularly is important. You learn your trade by playing games. He has played well so far and scored a really good goal. It is very good to see."

He continued:

"It is the same with Balogun. He has gone to Reims and is scoring. That is all you can ask for from your striker. I think it is really important that these players play football. If you do not play football, you will not develop properly. You need to play week in, week out. It is nice to see them both playing well."

Arsenal will next lock horns with Scott Parker's Bournemouth, who lost 4-0 to Manchester City recently, away from home on August 20.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta chooses two players to help new captain Martin Odegaard

In his column for The Athletic, journalist David Ornstein stated that midfielder Granit Xhaka and striker Gabriel Jesus are set to serve as leaders in the Arsenal dressing room. He wrote:

"Along with [Martin] Odegaard and these two deputies, [Mikel] Arteta intends to engage a wider group of the club’s senior players in continuous dialogue throughout the season to help engender a sense of shared responsibility."