St Mirren boss reveals how Arsenal delayed Kabia’s loan exit until Mikel Arteta gave the green light, and explains why he couldn’t wait to unleash the 20-year-old.
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St Mirren manager Craig McLeish believes the Scottish Premiership club have landed one of the summer’s most exciting young signings after winning the race to bring Arsenal winger Ismeal Kabia north on loan.
Kabia completed a season-long move over the weekend after being given permission to leave by Mikel Arteta, and McLeish says the Buddies cannot wait to unleash the 20-year-old after seeing off interest from elsewhere in Britain and Europe. Indeed, Kabia has already played 59 minutes for his new side.
Arsenal confirmed over the weekend that Kabia will spend the 2026-27 campaign on loan with St Mirren, providing the winger with another opportunity to build senior experience after last season’s spell at Shrewsbury Town.
McLeish revealed the deal had been months in the making, with Arsenal delaying the move until Arteta was satisfied with his first-team squad following the club’s final pre-season fixture.
“We’re delighted to have Ismeal with us,” McLeish told the club’s media channels.
“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.
“Arteta gave the clearance after their friendly the other night that he was happy with their squad.
“He’ll bring real excitement. He’s a one-v-one type winger with real pace and directness.”
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Kabia made 43 appearances for Shrewsbury last season, gaining valuable senior experience before returning to Arsenal for pre-season, where he featured alongside Arteta’s first-team squad.
McLeish believes that grounding has left the winger ready for the next step up.
“He played a lot of football last season and now he’s looking for his next step in his development,” McLeish said.
“We’re getting a really good, hungry young player.”
The St Mirren manager also disclosed that securing Kabia’s signature was far from straightforward, with numerous clubs attempting to persuade the Arsenal youngster to join them instead.
“We’ve had to fight off a lot of interest in him as well,” he added.
“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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