By Nathan Ridley
Arsenal defender Omar Rekik has been omitted from Swiss side Servette's league registration list after joining the club on loan - and could miss the rest of the league season.
Rekik, 22, joined the Geneva-based title chasers in January hoping to fare better than during his loan spell with Wigan Athletic in the first half the campaign after injury meant that the Tunisia international only made 14 appearances for the League One side. Having agreed to head to Switzerland, Rekik hoped to put his frustrations behind him - but they've only increased thanks to an admin blunder.
According to Swiss outlet 20 Minutes, Servette forgot to register Rekik and two of their other January signings for league matches. "Servette did not send us anything at all," David Barras, a spokesperson for the Swiss Super League, confirmed to the outlet. Responding to the embarrassment with a brief statement, Servette said: "We are trying to resolve this administrative issue and we do not wish to react at the moment."
While the Arsenal centre-back, who can also play on the left and right-hand side of defence, is registered for Conference League fixtures, he wasn't involved in either of their squads to face Ludogorets in the round of 32. Rekik now looks set for a few months sat on the sidelines, also unable to feature for Arsenal if the Gunners were to recall him.
Mikel Arteta understandably omitted him from their Premier League and Champions League squads, with Rekik yet to make a first-team appearance. Arsenal signed the versatile defender from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2021 for £600,000 and he was loaned out Sparta Rotterdam for the first half of last season.
He then headed to Wigan, making 11 appearances as Shaun Maloney's side were relegated from the Championship. Maloney saw enough in Rekik to re-sign him but the 22-year-old was unable to cement a place in the Latics' starting XI. Then came his move to Geneva, as Servette president Thierry Regenass remarked: "I am delighted to welcome Omar to the club. This young player is full of potential and we are convinced that he will be able to express it perfectly in our Servetti environment."
Your turn! Should Arsenal recall Omar Rekik from his loan spell? Join the debate in the comments section.
Rekik signed for Arsenal because the Gunners are renowned for giving youth a chance. He explained: "As a young player, you need to play somewhere where they're not afraid to give you a chance and you can see a lot of youth players have broken through here, and I want to be the next one."
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