http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrossthewater/story.asp?newsid=1692 At least it is first-team football....
I dunno don, I'm delighted. First team football for a higher profile first division club is a great chance to impress, if he ends up on the higher sections of the top scorer charts then Wenger will either give him his chance or some other club, like a big first division or small premiership side will be eager to buy him, espically considering McCarthy will probably pick him during this spell, international goals will only add to his value. I mean, look at how well David Healy has done for the North, and I'd be expecting even more from this lad.
At least (going by that article) Wenger rates him, and wants to have him. You can't blame him for playing Henry, Wiltord, and Bergkamp right now, but unless he's going to actually give him a chance in the first team, there's no point having him. He played Jeremie Aliadere tonight against West Brom (who incidentally, scored). So unless Barrett can really grab his eye with this loan spell, he'll have to move.
Of course you're right, Slash/ED. Its just the frustration of seeing another young and talented Irish player having to take a step backwards in the hope of eventually taking two steps forward.
Unfotunately for him, it looks like he has Henry, Wiltord, Bergkamp, Jeffers, Kanu and Aliadiere in front of him at Highbury. He will have to do something pretty special during his loan spell to break into that lot. I can see us losing him to a first division club, a shame, but a reality in the huge squads that the top clubs operate nowadays.