21 Year old Arsenal midfielder Jon Toral who is currently on loan to Granada FC is expected to cut short his loan with the La Liga side and join Scottish side Rangers FC for the rest of the season in a deal that could be made permanent too given that his Arsenal contract is up in June.
The La Masia academy product is expected to head off to Ibrox where he is to join up with his former Brentford boss Mark Warburton.
According to reports in The Daily Star Toral is all set to be unveiled along with Bournemouth Loanee Emerson Hyndman.
The Spanish midfielded had featured in only 6 appearances with the La Liga outfit scoring one goal in the half half of the season and was clearly struggling for game time, something which is echoed by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who believes that his next loan spell should prove to be quite beneficial for the young man.
Here’s what the manager had to say about his situation :
“We work on it to see if it is possible, yes.”
“He has played games there [for Granada] but at the moment he doesn’t play and personally I think it would be a good transition for him,”
He is set to be reunited with Mark Warburton who coached him at Brentford, someone who rates him highly and is aware of his abilities and talents and described him as a
Jon is a fantastic manipulator of the football,
He was voted Birmingham’s player of the season by fans after scoring eight goals for the club and had an impressive season out there last year which had earned him a contract extension at Arsenal, something which he will look to replicate this time around too.
His former manager at Birmingham Gary Rowett believes he has the right ingredients to succed at the Glasgow Club and can become a fan favourite out there just like last time.
Rowett said:
Whether it’s Birmingham City, Rangers or whoever, fans need a player who can lift the crowd, provide a little bit of magic and be the difference in a game.
“Jon can do that, he’s that type of player. He brings something different.
“It’s hard to find players like that, who excite fans
He works hard for the team, he’s a very unselfish player.
“I genuinely expect to see an exciting last few months of the season from Jon
Clearly rated all around by those who have worked around closely with him he certainly seems like a player who has a lot of unfulfilled potential and prove himself when given the opportunity, something which has apparently been denied in his frustrating loan stint at Spain.
Signed from Barcelona along with Bellerin, he clearly has had the most sought after training in the world of football, that Barca DNA in his blood which has taught him to be the selfless team player that he is.
Certainly a spell at the club where Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem has already spend a season last year and has benefitted a great deal from the confidence shown in him there, might be just what he needs.
A manager who trusts him and has faith him and a crowd which cherishes players who work hard for the team certainly lays a very positive foundation for him to develop and prove it to Arsenal his worth and even stake a claim for a first team slot next season.
Lets hope he can make it out there and prove to be the next Cesc Fabregas as most people had described him when he had first made the switch from Nou Camp.
