£22m loan player may now be sent back to Arsenal this month

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Whilst Arsenal were said to want to add a defender to their squad in January, they may have not imagined it would be a player returning from loan.

Mikel Arteta’s side are set for a quiet month, owing to their Financial Fair Play restrictions rather than their desire for new players.

Arsenal have struggled to find the net in their last few games, meaning a new striker must be the priority in the summer.

Ivan Toney will stay with Brentford following his return this month, a situation that may be revisited in the summer.

But with Arsenal needing to find clever solutions to their squad issues in January, it seems another Premier League side will be doing the same.

Nottingham Forest took Nuno Tavares on loan from Arsenal at the start of the season, and he may now return ahead of schedule.

According to The Telegraph, new Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo is going to review Tavares’ situation towards the end of the current window.

Tavares, who Arsenal considered to be worth £22m last summer, has only played 94 Premier League minutes for Forest since he joined.

The 23-year-old is making little progress on loan, so a January return may be in Arsenal’s best interests as well.

Nuno Tavares may return to Arsenal in January if Forest loan is cut short

Although Tavares is unlikely to suddenly be considered the solution for Mikel Arteta at the back, he could prove a sellable asset this month.

The club may be able to make small moves in January if they did manage to offload players on the periphery of things.

And whilst Tavares’ Forest loan isn’t working out right now, Arsenal could really reap the rewards from another loan deal they agreed last summer.

Whilst Arteta and his staff enjoy their warm weather training camp in Dubai, work will be happening behind the scenes.

And there’s no doubt that Arsenal could act quickly if an opportunity presents itself this month.

Arsenal are expected to be quiet in January, but as well players returning, they could also seek a smart loan deal themselves.