Weiss to be loaned out?

There are strong reports today that Vladimir Weiss could be set to leave the club for the short term, with Roberto Mancini confirming a loan move could be forthcoming:

"It is possible Vladimir will go somewhere on loan," said Mancini. "He is a good young player who is going to be important to this club in the future.

"But he needs to play. We have not decided where though. That will be Vladimir's choice."

I'm not overly convinced the idea of Weiss departing is necessarily a good one. He has progressed so much in the past 12-18 months that he is now a feature on the bench, and pushing hard for a first team spot. Clearly he is ready to make the step up, and only the ridiculous competition for attacking places has prevented him playing more often than he is. Just think how much he would have played by now if this was 2005.

The idea of a loan therefore may not be ideal for him given that he doesn't particularly need a spell at 'finishing school' before coming back a first team regular.

You also have to be careful with a loan to ensure he goes to the right club and environment. He will obviously be away from Mancini and the training regime he is implementing, which, given the squad we have must do wonders for the younger players. If he does go out on loan, there is no way he drops down outside the Premier League, and will his development be best served going to a side battling and scrapping to avoid the drop?

A thought on where he may land if he does go? With a new manager who is known for trying to play football, Bolton may not be too wide of the mark.