Arsenal.com producing a bit of proper, worthwhile content is so rare that I thought I'd start a topic on it. As it happens they must have read A-M last summer and just copied me! 🙂

Anyway, today's loan review is Kyle Bartley (there is a new one daily):

Loan Review: Kyle Bartley - Sheff Utd/Rangers
Every season a number of Arsenal players go out on loan to gain valuable first-team experience and the 2010/11 campaign was no different.

Arsenal.com have tracked the progress of the loanees throughout the season and our ‘Loan Review’ series will examine each player in turn. Today we focus on Kyle Bartley.

Kyle Bartley
Kyle joined Championship side Sheffield United on loan at the start of the season shortly after signing a new long-term contract extension with Arsenal.

The powerful defender was a regular fixture in the Blades’ back-line before fracturing his cheekbone during a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at the end of September.

He returned to action in November and went on to make 23 appearances before securing a loan switch to Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers on the final day of the January transfer window.

Kyle was deployed at the heart of the Rangers midfield and became an instant hit at Ibrox with a number of impressive performances.

The 20-year-old made eight starts, scoring once, and was in the thick of the action during a few hotly-contested Old Firm derbies.

His campaign ended when he suffered a medial ligament injury during a Europa League clash with PSV Eindhoven in March.

"The experience this year was invaluable and I really enjoyed my time,” he told Rangers’ official club website. "All the boys get on really well and they're all great lads.”

Ian Appleyard of the Yorkshire Evening Post

“He was a regular under Gary Speed, who liked his footballing ability. Unfortunately, when the new manager came in, Micky Adams wanted new qualities from his centre backs and Kyle went to Rangers.

“There aren’t too many Sheffield United supporters who would have many bad words to say about him. He looked like a real star of the future and even battled through the pain barrier when he broke his cheekbone and played with a protective mask.

“He wasn’t helped by the fact that Chris Morgan got injured. I think the idea was that he would play alongside Morgan but he suffered a bad knee injury in October and missed the rest of the season. So, all of a sudden, Bartley had to carry far more responsibility. But it would have been a great experience for him.”

Keith Jackson of the Daily Record

“When he first came in January, he didn’t go straight into the team and I think a lot of people were surprised. His first game was against Motherwell at Ibrox on February 12 and when he came into the team he never left it because he was so impressive. He played in central midfield that day, as a defensive anchor, and he wowed the supporters who fell in love with him.

“He’s fast, obviously he’s a big, strong boy, he is good in the air and he likes a tackle. But he is also mature beyond his years and you can tell that he has had a great education at Arsenal. Physically, he is ready to cope with anything and he has everything you are looking for in a centre half.

“To bring in a kid from Arsenal who threw himself into everything the way he did really impressed the fans. There was one particular game against Celtic at Celtic Park, which has been called ‘the shame game’, where Bartley was involved in a bit of a melee going up the tunnel at half time. Johan Mjallby was having a go at El Hadji Diouf before Bartley stepped in between them and the fans really warmed to the fact that he saw himself as a committed part of the cause.

“That was his first game against Celtic and he threw himself into a tackle and got booked about five minutes into the game. I thought to myself ‘well, here’s a test’. I’ve seen it 100 times where a young kid will get an early booking and then either disappear for the rest of the match or get sent off after 20 minutes. But he was as cool as ice, kept his composure and performed like a guy twice his age.

“I don’t think anyone up here could speak more highly of him. The general feeling is that Rangers were extremely lucky to get hold of a player like that for six months. They realise that this boy is going to go all the way. I think he really took a buzz from playing for Rangers, who are a big club, in front of 50,000 every week. He connected with the fans and it’s not often you see a kid of that age really connect and have the impact that he did. He’s got the right attitude and he has all the footballing qualities you would expect of a young Arsenal player.”

Some great words for Kyle from the journalists, and Rangers fans that you speak to are just as effusive in their praise. I wonder what Wenger has planned for him this summer? Could he offer us more than Squillaci has this season, maybe even more than that? Or is another loan the best way for him to spend next season?