Gillingham’s Freeman in high demand

 

15 year-old Gillingham striker Luke Freeman could be on his way to Arsenal in January, but the Gunners will face stiff competition from the likes of West Ham and Newcastle. The teenager made history last month as he became the youngest player to ever play in the FA Cup. He certainly would be a decent addition to our squad, but we are consitently linked with the likes of John Bostock and Tresor Mputu before the excitement suddenly fades away as we realise that they’re probably not coming to Arsenal. Having said that, this boy is of exceptional quality and would offer good competition for the likes of Murphy and Sunu for a Reserve team place. Looking further ahead, if a foreign player quota were to be introduced in three or four years time we would be awash with English youngsters (providing we keep them of course) as the likes of Lansbury, Walcott, Murphy, Cruise and co. all look like having a decent future at Arsenal. There’s nothing concrete about the Freeman transfer yet, although Gillingham have revealed that he has spent time training with us and that we are one of the clubs interested. However, Gillingham have also revealed that they would not sell Freeman for a price that doesn’t meet their expectations, which is estimated to be in the region of £200-300,000.

More on: Jay Emmanuel-Thomas

 

A powerful, hard-working and versatile player it’s hard to believe that Jay Emmanuel-Thomas possesses all of these qualiies in abundance despite being barely out of school. He made his reserves debut last season against Charlton and wnet on to play future games for the second string against West Ham and Reading, scoring a stunning strike against the Royals at Underhill. His positive attitude and tireless runs convinced Arsenal to give him a scholarship in the summer and so far it has paid off, as he has made the most appearances for the u-18s this season. He emerged last campaign as a left-back, where he played for the u-18s. However, this season he has been tested in both a Patrick Vieira style role in central midfield and on the left flank where he finds it easier to get past players and to cut inside.