Glen Kamara leaves Arsenal to join Colchester United on transfer deadline day

Arsenal midfielder Glen Kamara has left the club to join Colchester United on loan until January 2017.

Football League sides have previously had the opportunity to make additions to their squad up to November through the Football League emergency loan window. That has been abolished this season, however, meaning clubs looking to make short-term signings must do so before Wednesday's transfer deadline.

League Two side Colchester have acted before then to bring Kamara to the club, as confirmed by Arsenal. The Finnish midfielder made his full debut for the Gunners last season in a disappointing League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in October 2015. A loan stint at Southend United followed, where he made six appearances for the Shrimpers during the second half of the season.

He becomes the third departure from Arsenal on transfer deadline day following Jack Wilshere's move to Bournemouth and Serge Gnabry's permanent transfer to Werder Bremen. Gnabry, 21, joins the German side for an undisclosed fee despite Arsene Wenger insisting weeks ago he was keen for the club to offer the youngster a new contract.

Gnabry, who finished as the joint top scorer at the Rio Olympics with runners-up Germany, explained he felt he had to leave the Emirates to secure first-team football opportunities.

"The Olympics were a personal highlight for me and I'd like to carry on my development here at Werder. I've come to Bremen to get playing time, to develop further and to help the team," he said.

Wenger said of the player earlier in August: "I want to keep Serge Gnabry and extend his contract. I think we stood by him. He went to West Brom, didn't play, we had to rebuild his confidence. I allowed him to go to the Olympics to help Germany. I think he's here now for a long time."