ARSENAL YOUTH AWARDS – 2016/17
https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2017/05/15/arsenal-youth-awards-201617/
Very straightforward, no surprises.
Youth team development
6 days later
Interesting interview with Krystian Bielik that someone has translated on Reddit.
That's a good read. That passing bit sounds like he will enjoy a 3 man defence a hell lot.
Rosicky part is nothing surprising. Every young player loves him. He should go on to be a youth coach or something, such a great presence to have around the club.
Really good read, cheers for the link Ricky. I still haven't seen Bielik play as a defender, but I like what people have been saying about him. It sounds like he fits the mold of a potential Koscielny replacement.
Clrnc wrote:Rosicky part is nothing surprising. Every young player loves him. He should go on to be a youth coach or something, such a great presence to have around the club.
I'm all for that! Rozza is a real nice guy and twas great to see him at the final.
Yeah, same with Arteta. We should bring him back as soon as Wenger leaves (I guess he won't return before that, else he wouldn't have gone to City in the first place).
9 days later
“We have some young players who will join the squad next season,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “Like Reiss Nelson, like Ainsley Maitland-Niles already. So they are two players.
“So we have quality players who might have a chance next season and hopefully we will be able to do that again because that’s part of the DNA of the club as well."
Excited to see Nelson get his chance in pre-season. Can't wait! Maitland-Niles absolutely has to get more minutes next season.
We need to sell one of Coq and Elneny to give AMN some more game time. I'd lean towards selling Elneny personally, I feel like he'll only ever be useful with a run of games which he'll never get here, while Coq is a decent utility player.
I'd sell Coq before Elneny. If Ramsey is injured, which he will be, I'd much rather see Elneny with Xhaka.
AMN should be our right wingback in the Europa League and the domestic cups.
AMN definitely deserves his share of minutes next season. You wonder what this means for Zelalem though. Sold in the summer?
He isn't on the release list so I reckon the club will give him the season to rehab. He is out of the next season with injury.
Quincy Abeyie wrote:I'd sell Coq before Elneny. If Ramsey is injured, which he will be, I'd much rather see Elneny with Xhaka.
Yeah, same. You need to factor in the players too though. It's not a given that Elneny wants to be here next season. If I were him I would want to leave.
Clrnc wrote:He isn't on the release list so I reckon the club will give him the season to rehab. He is out of the next season with injury.
I didn't know that. ACL?
Yep, ruptured ACL in the opening match of the U20 WC.
His career wasn't going all that great to begin with either. How many players have ever made a full recovery from an ACL at that age?
No mention of Willock there. Reckon he is off then afterall?
I'm assuming Jeff will get minutes
Yep, I think he's already very much part of the first team squad and will see a lot more minutes next season.
Art wrote:No mention of Willock there. Reckon he is off then afterall?
His contract runs out at the end of the month and he's been linked with a move to Man City in today's Evening Standard:
Says Everton, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund are also trying to sign him and that we haven't given up on convincing him to sign a new contract.
So if he considers going to Dortmund and City I'm guessing playing time isn`t the reason he wants to leave?
If he goes to City then it's because of money and only money. If he's going to leave - and I think he will - Celtic would be a really good move for him I think.
Not sure why he wasn't loaned out last summer to be honest. Wasted a year in the U23s. Not massively bothered because we have Nelson who's simply a much, much bigger talent but it's still annoying to lose him.
Thought few years ago Willock was one of the more hyped up young player? Shame to lose him.
Willock has had his share of hype - he's a very graceful player and I think that's a part of it. Personally I've never felt he quite had enough to play for Arsenal. Certainly not week in, week out, but I'm still disappointed he didn't get a chance to prove me wrong. Or at the very least, go out on loan and show what he could do whilst we still had him under contract.
Maitland-Niles has a very impressive attitude. Sounds very determined and focused compared to a lot of the kids I see being interviewed. He also came on in the second half of England's U20 World Cup final match and acquitted himself really well.
Maitland Niles would be great alongside Xhaka.
We should bin Coquelin and Elneny and just let him take their spot
Agree in general but as it stands AMN would more likely play as an understudy to Xhaka.
Not going to pretend like I've watched AMN other than when he's come on for the first team, but shouldn't he have nailed down a spot for England U20 if he's going to make it here?
Guess he seemed to be competing for a place with Onomah who has actually made 30+ first team appearances for Spurs. He played well enough in the semi final when Onomah was suspended so thought he might have kept his place.
Quincy Abeyie wrote:Not going to pretend like I've watched AMN other than when he's come on for the first team, but shouldn't he have nailed down a spot for England U20 if he's going to make it here?
A young player's record for their national team can give you an idea of their quality but it shouldn't be relied upon because you see some really strange omissions. Especially when you look back when the player in question is fully developed and you see the schmucks that were starting ahead them or even picked in the squad over them.
In Maitland-Niles case, he is a player that has solid technique as opposed to exceptional technique - it's not really that which marks him out as a big talent. His real strength lays in his ball winning ability and that owes to his physical power and his tactical nouse. He still has some way to go to develop both of those facets so they become strengths at higher levels.
I can understand the decision to play Onomah and Cook ahead of him, even if I disgaree with it, but I'd still say Maitland-Niles has a significantly better chance of playing for England (although thats not a measure of much these days!) and at a top club than not just the two that were picked in centre midfield ahead of him but than anyone else that played for England in the final. Lookman is the only other that stood out.
18 days later
We have lost both Willock boys. Shame.
Can't even hold on to our youth playerds! If we can't convince a 17yr old that we are best for him what hope is there for Alexis.
They weren't good enough to make it here. Simple as that really. Both talented but not enough and certainly not right now.
Good luck to them.
That's beside the point. We wanted to extend them but failed to keep hold of them. And this is not a new case.
I think the uncertainty after Jonker left isn't helping. Our youth development hasnt been up to standard for years and certainly isn't as competitive as the other top clubs. United have snapped up a top talent in Aliou Traore, Chelsea have signed Redan and Gilmour and we are struggling to keep our better prospects in the club. We still haven't had anyone replacing Jonker as well. Club is lagging behind so badly on many levels.
Chelsea just sold yet another young player they do not want for 20m today. They are certainly ace in trading players.
Our bloated squad is a big issue. We can't even give these kids cup games because we need to give fringe senior players their playing time.
The ones that matter are still here though. Nelson, Reine-Adelaide, Maitland-Niles, Bielik: big, big talents. As good as anything anyone else has.
Time will tell
Holding out most hope on Bielik
Ricky1985 wrote:The ones that matter are still here though. Nelson, Reine-Adelaide, Maitland-Niles, Bielik: big, big talents. As good as anything anyone else has.
None will make it here.
The problem is that we are shit house at developing them as anything other than technical ability, and we rely upon game time to develop them as players, but w should not be doing so via game time in the senior squad. Loans are the way to do so but I'm not convinced that we have a proper game plan based upon what was seen with the likes of Gnabry.
Gnabry's a bad example since he spent like two years injured.
18 days later
Don't want to speak too soon, but it seems there's a chance we might sign Jadon Sancho from Man City.
He has been left at home for City's US tour and there were loads of reports around last week that Levy was desperate to get City to include him in the deal for Kyle Walker. Which is a strange story because he doesn't have a profesional contract with City yet - he has so far refused to sign one since he turned 17 in March.
It would be a massive coup to get him. If he does elect to leave I really hope its us and not Spurs that get him. Hoping him being childhood friends with Reiss Nelson does the trick.