St Mirren manager Craig McLeish has expressed his delight after the Scottish Premiership club secured the season-long loan signing of Arsenal winger Ismeal Kabia.
The 20-year-old has joined the Paisley side for the 2026/27 campaign, becoming St Mirren’s ninth signing of the summer as McLeish continues to shape his squad following his appointment as permanent manager.
Kabia arrives with a growing reputation and valuable senior experience behind him. The Dutch-born winger joined Arsenal’s academy in March 2017 and progressed through the club’s youth system before signing his first professional contract in July 2024.
His development continued with a senior debut for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, when he came off the bench during a 5-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers. He subsequently spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Shrewsbury Town, making 43 appearances across all competitions and gaining extensive experience of senior football
Speaking to stmirren.com, manager Craig McLeish: “We’re delighted to have Ismeal with us.
“We’ve put a lot of work into it over the last few weeks. ARSENAL had to give the go-ahead for when he could be released to come up because he’s been involved with their first team throughout pre-season and played in some of their games. Mikel Arteta gave the clearance after their friendly the other night that he was happy with their squad.
“He’ll bring real excitement,” the manager continued. “He’s a one-v-one type winger with real pace and directness.
“He had 43 appearances with Shrewsbury last season in League Two. He played a lot of football last season and now he’s looking for his next step in his development. We’re getting a really good, hungry young player.
“We’ve had to fight off a lot of interest in him as well. He had lots of different options up here and down south and in Europe. It’s a really good one for us and we’re really excited to show him off.”
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