Another year, another Spanish loan for Wellington Silva. The 20 year old winger spent the vast majority of pre-season with Arsenal’s U21 side, but, owing to his continued inability to earn a work permit, will spend the forthcoming campaign in the Spanish second division, this time with Real Murcia.

This latest loan stint follows spells in recent years in the same country with Levante, Alcoyano and Ponferradina, none of which could justifiably be described as completely successful, with Wellington having made just 38 league appearances in total since January 2011, scoring six goals.

It is clear that the former Fluminense player possesses much natural ability and flair, which is what attracted him to Arsenal in the first place, but his inconsistency, not just during a season, but during the course of a single match, is a major cause for concern. Whilst he is contracted to the club for another three years, the fact that he didn’t travel on the first-team’s tour of Asia, for which he was eligible regardless of his work permit situation, provided a telling indication of his current standing at the club.

It can only be hoped that, unlike last season where he struggled to establish himself in the Ponferradina side, Wellington will hit the ground running with Real Murcia, although, at this stage of his development, it is far from ideal that he is still playing in the Spanish second division.

A successful season with Real Murcia may well provide him with one final attempt at making the breakthrough at Arsenal, if his problems concerning a work permit are ever resolved. The player himself, speaking at a news conference yesterday, said: “I hope to do very well this year and we’ll see what happens in the future”.

As ever with Wellington, just what will happen in the future remains unclear.