With the transfer window done and dusted (at least until December), I thought it was a good idea to shift the attention to the talent coming up through the ranks in the club. Arsenal’s youth setup is rated as one of the best in country, if not in Europe. Wenger’s philosophy, especially post the Invincibles era, has had youth development as a focal point – buying young talent and moulding them to be stars (though there have been instances where it hasn’t all worked out as he’d planned).
Former academy keeper Damian Martinez was promoted to the first team this summer and will be a third-choice keeper behind Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina. With Ospina currently out injured, the young Argentine who turned 22 this year will be looking to impress at whatever chance he gets. So far, he has played for the Gunners twice in the League Cup – a calm 3-0 win versus Coventry City and a tumultuous 7-5 victory away at Reading in a game that saw the Gunners overcome a 4 goal deficit. Just like the games themselves, Martinez showcased a mixed bag with plenty of potential. A tall guy, he looked comfortable dealing with crosses into his box and was fairly calm overall with some quick reflexes. However he also made a few glaring errors that lead to Reading running away with that game until the visitors decided otherwise. Either way he looks to be a good prospect and will certainly want to prove himself at the top level after a recent loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday.
Barring him, I feel that three more players from the lot above are ready and will feature more regularly in the first team squad that will play the Capital One and the FA Cups, if not a few appearances in the league. My sister and I were at the NextGen game between Arsenal and CSKA Moscow back in March 2013 and three players caught our eye (excluding Serge Gnabry who we had already been impressed with in his appearances for the senior squad) – Hector Bellerin, Chuba Akpom and Isaac Hayden. The 1-0 final time score in favour of the Gunners didn’t give any indication to just how entertaining of a game it had been, or how technically good the Arsenal team were.
The goal came via a delightful one-two played between Gnabry and Bellerin in the 56th minute. The German had made a run through the CSKA midfield with the ball, laying it off for Bellerin who was not far behind. The Spaniard collected the pass before immediately releasing it back to Gnabry in the area, who took one touch before firing the ball into the far corner. There had been a few more instances of this intelligent passing and pace before the goal which had yielded equally good chances that had gone begging either through good goalkeeping from the opposition or a certain impatience from the home side. Chuba Akpom, though he hadn’t scored, was another lively presence, while captain Hayden was a solid support keeping the back four tight. Though it has to be said that the Moscow team didn’t really have too many chances to try and cause damage.
Chuba Akpom is a product of Arsenal’s Academy having been with the Gunners from the age of 6. The youngster has represented England at the U17 and U19 levels – including 6 games and 2 goals in England’s 2012 U17 Euros campaign and 3 goals in 5 games for the U19 team in September 2012 for their Euro qualifying games. His scoring has been equally impressive for the Arsenal youth teams where he made his debut as young as 15 for the U18s. After becoming a pro on his 17th birthday in October 2012, Chuba has made 20 appearances in the U21 league in the 2012-2013 season with 13 goals to his name. Last summer he was named part of the Arsenal squad that toured Asia. This was the first time the fans really got a glimpse of his talent, and he didn’t disappoint with 4 goals in pre-season. Chuba featured for the Arsenal senior team in last season’s League cup fixture versus West Bromwich Albion and scored the third penalty in the shootout that ultimately saw the Gunners go through to the next round.
A loan spell at Brentford followed where he was again impressive, scoring a hattrick in their 6-1 FA Youth Cup win against Peterborough in January 2014 and earning the praise of Brentford manager, Mark Warburton –
On his return, Chuba was named part of the Arsenal squad that travelled to the States. In fact, he was the only striker on the list since Giroud was yet to return from his World Cup exertions! More recently, he scored another hattrick, this time versus West Bromwich Albion in a U21 league fixture. His obvious physicality and pace are there to be seen, and if he continues to develop as he has so far, we have a strong, pacy forward on our hands. One who has set a new 10m sprint record at 1.56 seconds surpassing Theo Walcott and Thierry Henry. I don’t think any Gooner would have a complaint about that!
Defensively lightweight isn’t the most incorrect of terms for this year’s Arsenal first team squad. With the departures of Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), the loan spell for Carl Jenkinson (West Ham), even the additions of Calum Chambers (Southampton) and Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle), though very good, are not going to be enough to last us through a season’s worth of exertions, competitions and injuries (Debuchy already out for at least two months!). Nacho Monreal is currently playing in Kieran Gibb’s absence (an injury that could potentially have him out for a few more weeks) while Arsenal’s best CB pairing in Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny pick up where they had left off.
This is where it is a bit more reassuring to know that we have potential options (yes, I know there is also the winter transfer window) in Hector Bellerin and Isaac Hayden – especially in the domestic competitions but also in case of any potential emergencies during a brutal run of fixtures we face now.
Hector Bellerin made the move from Barcelona’s La Masia to the Arsenal Academy in the summer of 2011. Since then he has gone through the ranks and become an integral part of our U21 team, barring the loan spell at Watford through much of last season. The 19 year old has also represented Spain up until the U19 levels and signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal in 2013. Position wise he is comfortable in both the left and right back slots and has even been played as a winger and defensive midfielder where he put in decent shifts.
Bellerin featured in the Emirates Cup game against Benfica as a right back and looked very comfortable on the ball. His attacking flair, pace and eye for a pass/cross were also put into good use down that right flank, where he even started and set up the move that led to Joel Campbell’s first goal for the club. His involvement in the move, right from intercepting a Benfica pass at the back before sprinting forward, to the perfect ball he played to Campbell at the edge of the area after a one-two with Sanogo, showed an exciting poise and awareness. Defensively however the game wasn’t the most testing circumstance and whether his skills at the back at as well-grounded remain to be seen and proven at the top level. He is also another very fast player, having broken Theo’s 40m club record (4.42 seconds) this summer, a record that had stood for 5 years. There remains no question about his quality and potential, but does he have what it takes to step up to that next level? If his recent showings for the club are any indication, the signs are encouraging. (Video)
This brings us to Isaac Hayden. The England U19 international signed for Arsenal at the age of 16. A defensive midfielder when he arrived, Hayden has since been converted into a centre-back to great effect at the Arsenal youth team level (though he can still be deployed in that CDM/DM role if required). He captained the Arsenal team during their semi-final run at the NextGen series and was named by Arsene Wenger as one of the four players expected to make the breakthrough into the first team soon. After signing his first professional contract with the club in March 2013, Isaac Hayden made his first-team debut in the West Bromwich Albion Capital One Cup fixture and put in a solid shift showcasing his abilities to battle and his desire to win the ball back, which the boss later praised.
Like the players he has cited as having had the great influence on him as a player – Patrick Viera and Roy Keane – Hayden also has a bit of the ‘over-enthusiastic’ challenges bug, but that is accompanied by their positive qualities – growing leadership skills, a deep passion for the game and a desire to play and fight for his team. Since his WBA debut, Isaac Hayden was on the bench for the PL fixtures versus Liverpool and Manchester United.
All these players have a long way to go and everything to prove and play for. But they have showed the potential and the talent for succeeding at the top level. Here’s to hoping they have the hunger and desire to live up to the promise!
