We’ll start with the loan watch and yesterday Kerrea Gilbert played the first 45 minutes as Leicester saw off Kettering Town with a 4-1 victory. He was replaced by James Chambers at the break and will be looking to retain his place in the starting line-up when the Foxes face Birmingham at home on Tuesday. Further warm-up games are scheduled against Ikelston Town and Crystal Palace, before the competitive action gets underway on August 9th at home to MK Dons.
In other news, the BBC reports that Arsenal are set to train 16 highly-rated Indian schoolboys aged 10 to 15. It could be worth it if they discover just one player who could go on to be an exceptional talent.
Finally, five Arsenal youngsters are in Sweden as England under-17s prepare for the Nordic Tournament which kicks off tomorrow. Sam Byles, Oliver Nicholas, Luke Freeman, Chuks Aneke and Jason Banton are all in contention for starting berths when England kick off against Finland tomorrow. That’s followed by a game against Iceland on Tuesday and the group stages conclude with a match against Norway on Thursday . Should the Three Lions progress, the final of the competition would take place next Sunday, whilst there are also matches for third, fifth and seventh place on the same day so it looks as if they will have to play four games no matter how well they do. Following the conclusion of the Nordic Tournament, the youngsters will head to Anglia in late August for games against Portugal, Italy and Israel. Benik Afobe, meanwhile, is set to play a key role for England under-16s next season and is likely to feature in this year’s Victory Shield competition.
