Wenger hopes for Fran benefit

Arsenal midfielder joins Spanish side until the end of the season

By Laura Slatcher   Last updated: 19th January 2008

fran merida arsenal

Merida: Sociedad loan

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes Fran Merida's loan spell at Real Sociedad will stand him in good stead.

The teenage midfielder has joined Sociedad on loan until the end of their campaign to build up his experience.

The Spanish club are currently fifth in Segunda Liga and are pushing for promotion straight back to La Liga after suffering relegation last season.

"He is a great player," Wenger told the club's official website. "He has a good opportunity to play there and he should be at Sociedad for six months.

Solution

"At the moment we play the young players so quickly in the reserve team - at 16 or 17 - that at 18 and 19 there is sometimes no challenge for them anymore.

"But it is still a little bit early for them to play in the first team at Arsenal. So there is a little gap period for them.

"We always think about how we can use this period for the benefit for the boy and the club.

"One of the solutions is to get them into clubs where they can get first-team experience."