The 7 academy players most likely to be in the Arsenal first-team next season
|In recent seasons, a number of talented youth players have made the step up from academy to first-team prominence. The likes of Jack Wilshere, Hector Bellerin, Francis Coquelin and Alex Iwobi have all become important members of the club’s first-team set up and will be for a number of years.
Arsene Wenger, while criticised for his lack of trophies and results of late, has always been praised for his willingness to trust in youth and incorporate them as an important part of his philosophy.
With Iwobi having started the season with the under-21s but ending it as one of the first names on the team sheet, it ponders the question – who next?
We’ve taken a look at a number of players who could make their step up to first-team football at Arsenal next season.
Gedion Zelalem
Zelalem is a massive, massive talent.
He’s great on the ball, can control a midfield similarly to the way that Santi Cazorla does and has been on the books at the club since 2013 when he joined at youth level.
The American youth international is currently on loan at Rangers and started his season so well before picking up an injury which led to him being dropped upon his return with the Scottish side looking to gain promotion back to the Premiership. However, the 19-year-old has worked his way back into the side and has played his part, impressing with his technical ability and passing range.
With the likes of Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky all expected to leave the club this summer, it’s likely that Zelalem, who admitted himself that he will return to the club this summer, will have his chance to be in and around the first-team. If Zelalem can impress during pre-season,
If Zelalem can impress during pre-season, he could certainly find himself with a chance of stepping up.
Chiori Johnson
Johnson, despite suffering from injury problems all season, has proven himself to be an impressive and vital member of the under-21s.
The 18-year-old is a fast right back who has intelligence and sums up the ‘modern day full back’. With Mathieu Debuchy expected to leave the club this summer, it leaves just Hector Bellerin as a senior right sided player at the club (based on Calum Chambers being moved to the centre of defence), as well as Carl Jenkinson. The 23-year-old is a good talent and while Wenger supports him, he is a little bit inconsistent and has yet to find his feet at the club.
Johnson, having been at the club since a young age possesses all of the ability to make the step-up to the first-team scene, he dethroned the impressive Tafari Moore in the under-21s and will push Bellerin for his place in the first-team.
Julio Pleguezuelo
Arsenal’s under-21 captain is a man who is highly touted for a bright future in north London.
Plegueuzuelo is an impressive defender who can play the ball across the ground, has pace and never looks out of his comfort zone.
With Arsenal’s frailties defensively, the Spanish talent could be the next La Masia graduate who Barcelona regret getting rid of.
Chris Willock
Willock is a big talent, those who watched the FA Youth Cup semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium against Manchester City will know that. He proved himself in that game.
He has a big eye for goal, can run at defenders with the ball in a way that only Alexis Sanchez and Jack Wilshere are showing and has trained regularly with the first-team this season.
The boss has also confirmed that Willock is likely to be in the first-team next season, a mark of almost certainty that the teenagers time is coming.
Jeff Reine-Adelaide
Reine-Adelaide showed what he was able to do in last season’s Emirates Cup. Despite being just 17-years-old, the Frenchman – who joined the club last summer, is pretty likely to walk into the first-team picture next season.
He’s already had a few opportunities in the FA Cup but has had little chance to really show what he is capable of. Reine-Adelaide has shown his versatility as of late, performing in a deeper midfield role at times and showing his ability to control possession. He’ll have plenty of competition in the forward areas but is more than capable of staking his claim for a place in the first-team
Krystian Bielik
The midfielder has been plying his trade at the heart of the defence this season but is certain to move back into the middle of the team as he matures his game.
Bielik signed for Arsenal just over a year ago and has formed an impressive partnership with Pleguezuelo and doesn’t look likely to be hanging around with the youth sides for very long.
The Poland youth international could, and without exaggerating too much, be the ‘big and powerful’ midfielder that the Gunners have missed since the days of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva.
Jon Toral
Toral is a super talent and is currently on loan at Birmingham City, where he is flourished. The 19-year-old is a goalscorer, can provide assists and looks ready to move into the first-team set up.
The Spaniard can play in behind the striker or on the right of a midfield front three, which means that he would have to challenge the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi for a place in the side.
Toral, however, while perhaps not ready to get in the team ahead of that impressive trio, will not sit on the bench and could do with another loan move if Wenger doesn’t believe that he is quite there yet.
I’d prefer Chelsea’s youth policy. No development of players, but, a first team that wins Premierships and Champions Leagues.
Great article! Based on Arsenal persisting with the same tactics and formation used this season, I can see first team opportunities for Arsenal’s academy players next season in the following positions:
GK: Whilst Cech is the undisputed number 1, Ospina (lack of aerial presence) and Sczcesny (lack of composure) haven’t been impressive this season. As such there might be an opportunity for Martinez or Macey to play the role of back up for Cech next season. That said, Wenger seems to have a real soft spot for Ospina so I think Macey and Martinez will have to bide their time if they are willing to.
RB: Whilst Bellerin is the undisputed first choice, given Wenger’s reluctance to regularly rotate his starting 11 and Debuchy and Jenkinson’s desire to leave in order play first team football, there maybe first team squad opportunities for the likes of Moore or Johnson, who have both impressed for the club’s Under 21 side.
CB: Mertesacker (lack of mobility) and Gabriel (lack of strength and poor decision making) have very disappointed this season. Whilst Koscielny is one of the best CBs in the EPL and Chambers has enormous potential as a CB if only he was ever given an opportunity, there could be first team opportunities for the likes of Pleguezuelo or Bielik if Mertesacker and Gabriel were to be sold in the off season. But given Wenger’s strong loyalty to the big German, evident commitment to Gabriel and a reluctance to regularly rotate his starting 11 coupled with a lack of physicality in the case of the Spainard and a lack of composure in the case of the young Pole makes me think neither will make the grade at Arsenal.
LB: Whilst Monreal is the undisputed first choice in the position, despite a lack of attacking effectiveness, Wenger has effectively frozen Gibbs out of first team opportunities. Whilst I doubt Wenger will seek to replace Monreal in the off season, a lack of first team opportunities may prompt Gibbs to leave. This may open the first team squad door for Marc Bola.
CM: With the likes of Wilshere, Ramsey, Coquelin, Cazorla and Elneny all competing for two central midfield spots, I think the likelihood of any academy players being given regular first team opportunities in Arsenal’s engine room is slim to none.
CAM: Rain, hail or shine this is Ozil’s position and I simply don’t see any academy players being given regular first team opportunities in this position. Whilst Zelalem has been impressive for Rangers this season and may force his way into first team squad reckoning next season, I doubt he’ll see much of any actual playing time in the event the injury Gods strike down Ozil, given the presence of Cazorla, Wilshere and Ramsey in the first team squad.
RW: Like Ozil, Sanchez has a lock on Arsenal’s right wing position. So much so that the likes of Ox may seek to depart the club in the off season. Whilst the player that takes Ox’s position as back up to Sanchez is not likely to see much if any game time, the Ox’s departure could present first team squad opportunities for the likes of Willock, Hinds, Maitland-Niles, Crowley or Toral.
ST: With Giroud’s lack of mobility and shooting effectiveness, Walcott’s dire touch and Welbeck’s inability to convert scoring opportunities, on the face of it there would appear to be a great opportunity for Arsenal’s academy strikers, the likes of Iwobi, Gnabry, Akpom, Mavididi to make the step up and secure themselves a spot in Arsenal’s first 11. Whilst Wenger’s patience with Walcott seems to have run out and he may depart the club in the off season, in all likelihood Wenger will stay loyal to Giroud and Welbeck next season at the expense of promoting an academy prospect.
LW: This is the one first 11 position where a genuine opportunity exists for one of Arsenal’s academy players to step up and play regularly. Personally I think Campbell has impressed whenever he has been asked to perform that role, but Wenger seems reluctant to deploy him there regularly, Currently Iwobi has the jump on his academy colleagues in the position but with the likes of Campbell, Toral, Reine-Adelaide, Fortune, Wellington breathing down his neck and all natural left footers (unlike Iwobi) it will be interesting to see if any are able to usurp the young Nigerian
Johnson dethroned Moore where on earth did you get that from, that’s bullshit mate, nothing of the sort. Moore is not only Arsenals no 1 u21 right back, he is rated the top u19 right and left back in the country, always England’s first choice fullback.
Forgot about Donyell Malen. He had a great year last year.