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Loan signings are a good way for clubs to freshen up their squads without paying inflated and rather risky transfer fees, and in recent days Wigan, Middlesbrough and Stoke have done just that. In at the DW Stadium is Arsenal whizz kid Ryo Miyaichi, the highly rated Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran (pictured) has packed his bags and moved to the Riverside, while Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone looks set for a spell in the Potteries. Will this trio shine in their new environments, or are they destined to fail? The Life’s a Pitch panel offers its verdict…

Kicking off with Japanese wide man Miyaichi, the Daily Mirror’s John Cross has his doubts that the youngster will make his mark quickly for a team that are notoriously slow starters. “I think it will be a miss from August till March and a hit from April to May, as Wigan only seem to play for the last six weeks of a season,” he says. “I think he’s a good player, a good talent, who needs another season in the Premier League elsewhere in order to prove that he can make it at Arsenal. I think he’ll do OK, but I don’t know about his long-term prospects.”

Blues star McEachran has seen his career stall at Stamford Bridge, failing to get near the Chelsea first team last season and enduring a miserable spell on loan at Swansea. However, Dominic Fifield of the Guardian has faith that his move to Middlesbrough will showcase his talents. “It seems like a natural fit. They play decent football and he should flourish in that midfield. He needs games, he needs a whole season playing regularly to prove just how good he is, as none of us really know how good he is at the moment. A hit.”

Having spent the best part of a year sidelined by an ankle injury, Tom Huddlestone is hoping to revive his fortunes with an impressive loan period at the Britannia Stadium, pending a medical. And if the Potters take the plunge, the People’s Janine Self thinks he’ll do well. She says: “He fits perfectly into the Tony Pulis demographic because he’s a player with talent, but he has to prove it again. He might bring goals, which is something Stoke lack, but he hasn’t played for a year, which would be my only worry. But if he’s fit and his engine is running, he’ll be a hit.”

Watch the full video discussion by clicking on the play button in the image above. 

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