After just two days of training with his temporary team, Arsenal loanee Harrison Dudziak was named in the starting lineup for Braintree Town against Hartlepool yesterday and proceeded to produce an impressive performance.
Dudziak was making his overall senior debut, with the midfielder playing the entirety of the goalless draw.
After the game Braintree boss Steve Pitt explained that the move came about due to his connections with Arsenal U21 coach Max Porter.
Pitt was looking to bring in a midfielder after the departure of Marley Marshall-Miranda to Boreham Wood, with Dudziak proving to be the ideal replacement.
Speaking to Braintree’s [YouTube channel](https://x.com/braintreetownfc/status/2002840894047768804?s=46), Pitt said: ‘I know Max Porter the Arsenal U21s coach very very well. I decided he would be a perfect replacement for Marley as a box-to-box midfielder.
‘Industrious, hard working and I think you saw the benefits of that today because I thought Harrison and Ben (Drake) were absolutely outstanding, bearing in mind they’ve never played a game in senior football in their lives. I think both boys acquitted themselves really well.’
Dudziak has joined Braintree on an initial loan deal until January 27th which could potentially be extended thereafter.
The 19-year-old has gained plenty of experience at youth level and has also trained with the first-team at times but involvement in senior football will certainly be hugely beneficial for his progress.
Non-league loans are something that Arsenal have utilised intermittently over the years but this season there seems to have been a greater focus on such deals.
Defender Maldini Kacurri, for instance, has impressed on loan at National League side Morecambe and has won their player of the month award on two occasions. The Albanian youngster’s loan deal is set to expire early next month and he has shown that he could potentially play at a higher level.
Forward Daniel Oyetunde and left-back Cam’ron Ismail have had short youth loan spells at St Albans and Uxbridge respectively.
Both players had found themselves on the fringes of Arsenal’s U21 squad, with these loan spells giving them some much-needed minutes.
One benefit of non-league loan spells is that they can be arranged outside of the normal transfer window and also that they can vary in length, with some deals only lasting for a month which allows the situation to be assessed afterwards.
Furthermore, playing in non-league enables players to understand the importance of three points in senior football and can also help them to develop physically.
There are other players in Arsenal’s U21 squad who could potentially benefit from loans to non-league clubs, including wingers Seb Ferdinand and Osman Kamara.
If players join non-league teams on loan it also creates space for younger prospects in the U21 squad.
It will be intriguing to see whether Arsenal continue to loan out players to non-league clubs with increased regularity and whether such moves can lead to greater progress for the individuals concerned.