06 Jan 2019 18:32:54
I was at the Blackpool game last night, and as you will all know, there was an emphasis on youth towards the end of the game, with Saka, Willock, Medley, Eddie and AMN all getting game time,

I was wondering who everyone else saw as the best prospect at the club, and who can you see making the first team in the future?

For me, AMN, ESR, Gunedouzi, Nelson and Saka look certian for first team regulars apart from that, I'm not too sure, but if 5 players become first team from the academy I'll be very happy!

1.) 06 Jan 2019
06 Jan 2019 18:57:13
It's impossible to tell mate, I thought Jay Simpson and Jay Emanuel Thomas would go on the be top Arsenal players but sadly not.
I remember us losing to Chelsea in the league cup final 2006 or 07 and everyone raving about all our young players and what a goalden future lay ahead for us but again it just didn't turn out how everyone thought it would.
Guendouzi looks the most likely of our current youngsters but I've been wrong before:-)

2.) 06 Jan 2019
06 Jan 2019 19:21:41
AMN is on the cusp of first team but what is his position? . Gouendouzi is making a huge impression at a young age and is looking good. Nelson is doing well in the bundesleague but doing well in that and playing every week in the prem for us is totally different but he's progressing. Willock is next in line but getting a start and being regular in midfield in the prem is hard but again he is progressing. Mavropanos looked promising and strong until his injury, he's a wait and see. The rest are far too far away and too young yet too make a judgement as yet. I do think they will get more opportunities under Dick than they would under wenger. Dick, isn't frightened to try youth, where wenger seemed to lose his nerve towards the end. I do think we as a club need a couple of youngsters at least to come through in the next two seasons.

3.) 06 Jan 2019
06 Jan 2019 21:32:00
I like the idea of players going abroad on loan it's got to be better than simply playing under 23.
The higher the level of you play at the more you have to give to survive while at under 23 level players just stagnate, we all learn a lot more from being the weakest player in a strong league than we can ever learn from being a superstar in a really weak league.

4.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 11:45:48
So many have passed through the system its almost impossible to see who will stay around. I really thought Reine Adelaide would make the grade, but he just joins the list of could have been. AMN looks the most promising, followed by Gouendouzi. However, i can't help feeling that our youth players all appear to be clones, in that they are all of the smallish, slightly built frame type, and that i would love to see someone who offers somethinh else, perhaps a natural bit of bite, pace, or something else, on top of the technically gifted but raw ability we know they all are.

5.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 12:50:59
I think small technical players have been the order of the day for the last 15 years or so epping mate.
Can't remember the last CB we brought through the ranks, Adams Keowen?

6.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 14:47:14
Yes that seems to be the way these days G62.Barca played beautiful football stuffed with lots of small technical players so every other top team suddenly decides this is the only way to play football. Martin Keown came to us from Everton, no? . Still would love those two today. and i think it was the last time we had 2 CB's regularly playing together who were comfortably over 6ft?

7.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 15:15:36
Unfortunately Football like most things runs in fads epping mate with very few daring to be different.
I thought Keowen started with us then we sold him and bought him back again but now you mention Everton I'm not so sure I'm right about it mate,

8.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 16:54:47
No, you are 100% correct G62, Keown started with us as a youth player before moving on. i think we did re-sign him from Everton though.

9.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 18:24:40
Keown was an Arsenal youngster, bought back from Everton later on.

10.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 19:09:41
I think your right about us resinging him from Everton now you mention it Epping, I thought he went from us to Vila back to us but him stopping off via Goodison on route to coming back does sound Familiar now.
We used to produce some really good defenders once upon a time, Oleary Adams Keowen Cole to name but a few but we seemed to become midfield obsessed under Arsene where keepers defenders and forwards seemed to become the supporting cast for most of his last decade.

11.) 07 Jan 2019
07 Jan 2019 20:01:58
I thought that Zech Medley looked interesting. I wish emery would play him in central defense instead of Lichtsteiner. Next to Sokratis and/ or Koscielny he would probably learn a lot. He would probably grab his chance and play like a champ. I rather play a youngster who might fail than an over the top and out of position fullback who most likely fail.

Btw Iwobi is through the ranks, so is Bellerin (kind of) . Together with AMN, Nelson, Saka and Willock I think that’s quite good compared to other top six teams.