Officially official: Benik Afobe returns to Arsenal

This is not a move we were expecting at all, but I don't think there will be too many tears shed around Bolton. In a rather strange turn of events, Benik Afobe has returned to Arsenal 4 months before the end of his loan. Afobe came to Bolton on a season long loan deal in early August. In the original post about his signing, Mark said "we sincerely hope that Afobe is more of a Sturridge signing than a Kakuta one." Unfortunately, like many loanees from bigger clubs of late, he proved to be a disappointment, not living up to the hype.

Earlier today we posted about the England U21 squad, and expressed our displeasure at Afobe's inclusion over Marvin Sordell, but Mark addressed the matter more thoroughly in his piece from early December. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that Afobe spent far too much time resting on his Arsenal laurels, and not enough time working.

While very surprising, this is actually a really good move for the club. An outfit like Bolton can't afford to waste any resources on players that don't earn their keep, and Afobe certainly was that. So long, Benik.