When Ljunberg took over and when Arteta started on our bench right after, there was a sense that our team will over the years be full of Academy Players…We were very excited about Saka, ESR, Nketiah, RN, Willock AMN and there were also some buzz around Okwonko, John-Jules, M’Haland…
A few years forward and now only Saka has retained his spot in our starting XI, ESR has been relegated to a mostly unused sub and Nketiah to a sub…RN has some involvement but also limited. AMN and Willock are gone and other academy players are either out on loan or still in the academy…
Clearly, our academy does have some talent and there seems to be some type of grooming being done in terms of playing style since Arteta has joined the club to ensure that our Academy players are being prepared for first team football…
Yet, barring Saka, there does not seem to be a real spot for them in the starting XI and less and less on the bench…We could see ESR, Nketiah, RN leave this summer…It would not be a good signal to the academy players…
So is it the end of Hale End in our starting XI but also as an attractive spot for Top Talent in the UK?
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Sagna wants AFC to sign Rashford…good or bad idea?
I rate Rashford but I can’t have a team with:
We need an upgrade from RN, unfortunately…
We can’t have 4 players playing through the middle…Havertz has proved to be a strong modern 9 in terms of link up play and press…G. Jesus and Nketiah have been good squad players and Rashford is coming back to his best after a tough season…
So if you bring Rashford in, you have to get rid of either G. Jesus or Nketiah. Rashford can also be deployed either wings and adds pace through the middle and can be a very strong finisher but he has suffered from injuries and also did not seem to be so strong mentally the last 18 months…
So do you bring in Rashford for free? I think it is worth a gamble and you can then let go of either Jesus or Nketiah.
dey say Cozier Duberry might leave 😕
Haven’t followed the youth this season but side he is pretty good
I say no to the rashford move cause is he really an upgrade on trossard and martinelli NOPE
also he candidates really play threw the middle or on the right
Too soon to ring the death knell for the Academy. However the ARSENAL has become highly attractive to top class players and that removes opportunities for the academy hopefuls. Regardless, some of the talent I’ve seen recently means that academy players will still be groomed and chosen to play for the first team.
I am really hoping that ESR stays. I think the club and the fans love him and he loves the club and the fans too.
However, he is highly rated by teams like Newcastle and Fulham and they will give him a starting role so he may be tempted to move…maybe a loan would be good?
Otherwise, he should come to Ligue 1and play for a team like Lille, Monaco or even Lyon (with AMN) just to get some regular playing time against teams playing very defensively….
For Nketiah, I like him too and his goals have been valuable. Yet, he always fails to convince over a season. It is as if he has very good moments and then nothing…If a good offer comes for him, maybe it will be ok to let him go but only at the right price. Ideally, I d like to see him play in Germany or France. If he stays in England, then let us loan him only…
For RN, same observations as for Nketiah. We need consistent end product, which only comes in irregularly…Another stint through a loan in the EPL would be good for him.
Some pundits are saying we need a new N.9 and a LB as a priority. I think that our priority should be to replace Partey in the middle of the pitch. I also think that Douglas Luiz, Guimares, Y. Fofana, Y. Sazbitzer are worthy options.
The other priority for me are squad players at CB (Branthwaithe) and RFW (Williams). We can’t overly rely on Saliba-Gabriel nor Saka. We need some good alternatives.
At LB, we have Timber and then also Zinchenko and knowing that Tomy can play at RB and LB, I don’t think LB is a priority UNLESS we go for a top player like T. Hernandez. I don’t think Grimaldo could do the job for Arteta although, if you recall, I have advocated for the past few seasons.
At 9, we have Havertz, G.Jesus, Nketiah and even Martinelli, Trossard and ESR could play there…If someone comes, they have to bring something else to the table a) pacy well-timed run behind the defenders and/or b) strong link-up play with the back to the goal and aerial threat. Some rumours about Gyokeres, Sesko, Toney…I think a player like Wind, Sorloth, Watkins, Solanke, Dovbyk are also worth a look.
Fred – Ngolo Kante and K. Mbappe looked OK yesterday against Luxembourg but Thuram looked lost and Griezmann off-pace.
Maddisson out of the England squad…This is a surprise. A fit Maddison is a very able sub to Bellingham or Foden for example. Apparently. Jones and Quansah are also on their way out…
Madison dont deserve to be no where near England squad since he got injured this season he hasn’t been playing well
True he has not been at his best but he has got an X factor…Has he been worse than Grealish this year?
It seems Southgate is taking a gamble on his left back with Shaw but to be honest, he is not…because he has Walker and Trippier and even Gomez can play there…
The main question is “Who will play next to Stones?” – Konsa? Guehi?…
Here is my predicted line-up for England:
Pickford – Walker, Stones, GUEHI, Trippier – Rice, Mainoo – Saka, Bellingham, Foden – Kane
Bench: Ramsdale – TAA, Konsa, Gomez, Shaw – Gallagher, Wharton – Bowen (or Eze), Palmer, Gordon – Watkins
+ Henderson, Dunk, Eze (or Bowen), Toney
Strong team overall
I have not seen Wharton play much..is he that good?
Also, there is a very good young defender from Ivory Coast who plays for Monaco at the moment, his name is Wilfried Singo. He is very strong physically, fast and is also decent with his passing. He is 23 and I am sure that he will be snapped up by a very good team shortly…
Singo-Branthwaithe would be a very strong CB pair for Everton or any other team…One is a righty, one is a lefty…If I were, Everton, I d go for Singo this summer…And then sell both Singo-Branthwaithe in 2-3 years time but for like 180 Mln EUR…They could be that good.
I am also hoping for Fofana from Chelsea to finally put his injuries behind him…If he does, he is a top 10 CB in the EPL. If Chelsea is willing to let him go this summer, we should take a chance on him.