Arsenal full-backs Jenkinson, Bramall join Birmingham City on loan

In a move that serves both parties, Arsenal has loaned fringe first-team full-backs Carl Jenkinson and Cohen Bramall to Birmingham City on season-long loans.

Harry Redknapp's lot announced the news Monday, adding that the pair have been registered in time for Tuesday's League Cup clash with Bournemouth.

Birmingham has been desperate to make signings this summer in a push to gain promotion and return to the Premier League for the first time since finishing 18th in 2010-11.

Arsenal faces a saturation of first-team players on the books, prompting manager Arsene Wenger to say: "We have too many players. It is not manageable. Many clubs are in this situation - that is why the transfer market is quiet.

"We have 33 players at the moment. We have too many players."

Make that 31, after Jenkinson, 25, and Bramall, 21, join the Blues' ranks in the second tier, and for both players, it presents an opportunity to impress Wenger, though it's likely it will result in a different path for the two English defenders.

Jenkinson is trapped behind a log-jam at right-back consisting of Hector Bellerin and now Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in Wenger's 3-4-3 formation, meaning the life-long Arsenal fan may have to look elsewhere once the current season ends.

Left-back Bramall has experienced an unconventional career arc from non-league late-bloomer to two-day trial at Arsenal and a first-team contract, and with one year left on his Gunners deal, a term with the Blues is precisely what he needs. A pacey full-back who impressed in the pre-season, Bramall needs to refine the defensive part of his game, and a year at St. Andrew's should do exactly that.