Loanees- Traoré gets 77 minutes, Botelho bounces back

Armand Traoré- Portsmouth 3 Blackburn 2

Armand’s impressive performance in the 2-2 draw with AC Milan on Thursday meant that he kept his place in the starting line-up for Blackburn’s visit to Fratton Park. In a tame first half, Traoré stood out and created Pompey’s best attacking opportunity of the first period. Armand linked well with Belhadj down the left and delivered in a pinpoint cross but Crouch couldn’t bury it. The tall forward made amends soon after the interval when he nodded home Glen Johnson’s cross for 1-0 and then Defoe latched on to Niko Kranjcar’s through ball to double the advantage. Blackburn then pulled one back through Matt Derbyshire and equalised on 67 minutes when Tugay drilled home a spectacular effort. Traoré was withdrawn 13 minutes from time and replaced by Sean Davis as Pompey went all out for the win. And it was Davis who sealed all three points just two minutes after his arrival.

Pedro Botelho- Salamanca 1 Córdoba 0

It has been a tough week for Pedro Botelho, after the Brazilian left-back was fined by Arsenal’s feeder club Salamanca for missing training to go and watch Real Madrid play and there were suggestions that he may be dropped to the  ‘B’ team, but , rather suprisingly, he found himself restored to the starting line-up for today’s game with Cordoba.

The visitors were reduced to ten men on 74 minutes when substitute Sanchez was dismissed for a rash challenge. That gave the Union the incentive to push on and they got the goal they were looking for when Miku notched deep into stoppage time. It proved to be the winning goal and Pedro can be proud of his performance at the back.

Nacer Barazite was an unused substitute as Derby lost 3-0 away to Burnley in the Championship yesterday, whilst Kerrea Gilbert didn’t feature as Leicester booked their place in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup thanks to a Matty Fryatt hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Dagenham & Redbridge. The Foxes will host Crystal Palace in the next round, whilst Vincent van den Berg didn’t feature as FC Zwolle drew 1-1 with Excelsior in the Dutch Ereste division.

Afobe on target as England retain Victory Shield

Arsenal striker Benik Afobe continued his superb scoring record for England under-16s by scoring the opener in a 2-0 victory over Scotland last night, ensuring that the Three Lions secured the SkySports Victory Shield for the eighth successive season.

Victories over Northern Ireland and Wales meant that Kenny Swain’s side only needed a draw against the Scots to claim the trophy. Afobe started up front again having scored three goals in his previous two games and safe in the knowledge that a brace would see him equal Michael Owen’s record for the most goals scored by one player in the competition.

Foggy conditions greeted the two sides at Lincoln’s Sincil Bank and it took just eleven minutes for Afobe and England to get off the mark. The Three Lions won a corner on the right, and Benik positioned himself directly in front of the opposition ‘keeper. Aziz Deen-Coteh delivered the set-piece and Afobe, unmarked, rose to head home his fourth goal of the tournament.

Shortly after the break, Ipswich Town striker Connor Wickham doubled England’s advantage and put the game-and the trophy- beyond the reach of the Scots.

But the tournament belonged to Afobe. There have been some impressive performance from the England boys this year, including the likes of Louis Laing and Luke Garbutt, but for me Afobe has definitely been the most impressive.

Fellow Arsenal youngsters Chuks Aneke and Josh Rees both featured in the tournament as well and there will be more chances for them to impress with the regular Montaigu Tournament scheduled for 2009.

Ambitious Afobe sets his sights on first-team + Loanees- Traore v Senderos

Arsenal striker Benik Afobe may only be 15 but he is already setting his sights on a first-team berth. The Dagenham-born striker is in action for England u-16s tonight in the Victory Shield decider at Lincoln’s Sincil Bank, and rose to prominence after scoring 40 goals for Arsenal u-16s last season.

This campaign has seen him step up to the u-18s, and Benik scored on his debut against Fulham. He is not yet a regular in Steve Bould’s side but, he is already looking beyond that, and said

“I’m hoping to get a game with the first team in the New Year.”

Maybe he could be accused of being over-ambitious but for now Benik will be hoping to break Michael Owen’s record of four goals in the Victory Shield. Benik is currently on three following strikes against Ireland and Wales, and a brace would see him overtake the Newcastle striker in the record books.

Yesterday’s UEFA Cup meeting between Portsmouth and Ac Milan at Fratton Park was a real reunion of former Gunners stars and current Arsenal loanees.

The hosts included Kanu in their starting line-up, whilst Armand Traore, who is spending the season on the South Coast, also found himself restored to the starting XI. For Milan, former Gunners midfielder Mathieu Flamini started in midfield, whilst Philippe Senderos made only his second appearance for the Rossoneri at centre-back.

The game was an enthralling contest with Pompey urged on by their terrific fans. Tony Adams’ side gained a two-goal lead after strikes from Younes Kaboul and the aforementioned Kanu, but Milan struck back thanks to a superb Ronaldinho free-kick and a late equaliser from Filippo Inzaghi.

Frustrated Rodgers fails Watford trial

Arsenal defender Paul Rodgers has suffered another setback in his attempt to earn a contract at another club. Rodgers, 19, has failed a trial at fellow London side Watford, whose training ground is situated just next to the Gunners’ and has now made the ludicrously short journey back to London Colney.

Rodgers’ failure to win a contract with the Hornets is a blow to the Edmonton-born defender, who failed a similar trial at Nottingham Forest just last month. Rodgers spent time at the City Ground along with fellow Gunners Abu Ogogo and James Dunne, with only the later being taken on by Forest. Ogogo is currently on loan at Barnet in League Two, whilst Rene Steer, who has also been told he can leave the club, is currently a substitute for the Reserves after failing a trial at Cheltenham.

Meanwhile, the Reserves have been keeping their fitness up with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in a behind closed doors friendly match at the training ground yesterday. The Gunners fielded several players who are likely to feature in next week’s Carling Cup trip to Burnley.

Fazio linked, Conte in talks, loanees latest

Plenty of news today, including some interesting developments on the transfer front. Media reports suggest that Mirassol youngster Luis Gustavo Conte will fly in to London next week for talks about joining the club. Conte is only 14 but the Brazilian market is not one left untapped by the Gunners, with the likes of Pedro Botelho, Denilson and Paulinho all recruited in the past.

In other news, Sevilla’s 21 year-old centre-back Federico Fazio has been linked to Arsenal by the Daily Mirror. He certainly seems a promising prospect and with mild rumours that Kolo Toure could be out of the club, this may be a possibility.

Jack Wilshere became the youngest player ever to represent Arsenal in the Champions League last night. Fran Merida, Jay Simpson and Gavin Hoyte were all un-used substitutes.

In Loanees news, Nacer Barazite completed 90 minutes on the right-wing last night as Derby came from behind to draw 2-2 with Preston in the Championship. Rob Hulse put the Rams in front, before Callum Davidson and Neil Mellor goals put the visitors in front. Derby salvaged a point thanks to a superb strike from Jordan Stewart.

Abu Ogogo made his third appearance for Barnet as the Bees were held to a 0-0 draw away to Port Vale in League Two. Barnet are currently 20th in the table.

Kerrea Gilbert didn’t feature for Leicester last night.

Sanchez Watt close to a return as competition for places hots up

Arsenal winger Sanchez Watt joined in with regular training today after recovering from a leg injury which kept him out of action for nearly two months.

The talented youngster picked up the knock against West Ham under-18s in September and has been working in co-ordination with the physios at the club’s London Colney training centre. When he is fit, Sanchez is a key player for the u-18s and has scored two goals from five appearances this season. There is no u-18 game this Saturday, but when Steve Bould’s side return to action against Charlton on December 6th, Watt will be hoping to return to the side, perhaps at the expense of Roarie Deacon.

Watt’s return to fitness is a major boost for Bould as he prepares his youngsters for the FA Youth Cup third round clash against Aston Villa in 15 days time.

It is thought that Sanchez could feature in a Reserves friendly before then as Neil Banfield takes another look at the players at his disposal.

In other injury news, under-16s starlet Nico Yennaris has started light running again after a lengthy injury problem and is expected to return in January. Conor Henderson remains out and is expected to miss the rest of the season following the freak injury he picked up on his Reserves debut against Portsmouth.

Four Reserve players named in squad for Kyiv/ Loanees round-up

With seven first-team players currently out injured, Arsène Wenger has selected four Reserve players in his squad for tomorrow’s Champions League Group G encounter with Dynamo Kyiv.

The players trained today at London Colney and welcomed back new captain Cesc Fabregas from suspension as well as his predecessor William Gallas, with Henri Lansbury and Jay Simpson dropping out from the 18 that travelled to Manchester. Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Gavin Hoyte all trained, whilst Vito Mannone, who is not in the squad, practised separately with the goalkeeping coaches. However, French midfielders Samir Nasri and Abou Diaby picked up injuries during the session, meaning that Jay Simpson was drafted back in with Spaniard Fran Mérida also included.

Predicted team:

—————————-Almunia—————————-

—-Djourou—Gallas———————-Silvestre——Clichy—–

—-Ramsey—Fabregas (c)—————–Song———Denilson

————-Bendtner——————–van Persie—————-

subs: Fabianski, Vela, Wilshere, Gibbs, Hoyte, Merida, Simpson.

Read on for this week’s Loanees Update:

In the Premier League, Armand Traore played the final 32 minutes after replacing Nadir Belhadj in Portsmouth’s 2-2 draw with Hull City. Pompey took the lead through Peter Crouch in the first-half, before Michael Turner pulled the visitors level ten minutes into the second period. Glen Johnson then restored Portsmouth’s lead with a wonder-strike, but a late Noe Pamarot own-goal ensured Hull a share of the spoils.

In the Championship, Nacer Barazite completed the whole 90 minutes as Derby suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Ipswich Town. Strikers Pablo Counago and Jonathan Walters grabbed the goals for the hosts.

Abu Ogogo made his second appearance for Barnet as the Bees took on Macclesfield at Underhill in League Two. They went behind after fifteen minutes when Martin Gritton notched for the visitors but pulled level through the in-form John O’Flynn in the second period. However, Macclesfield scored two late goals to seal a 3-1 victory and heap the pressure on Barnet boss Paul Fairclough.

Meanwhile, in Spain, Pedro Botelho played the last 12 minutes as Salamanca suffered a 3-1 defeat away to Elche. Niño and David Fouster gave the hosts a 2-0 advantage before Quique Martin halved the deficit from the penalty spot four minutes from time. Not to be outdone, Elche piled forward in search of a third and got one through Saúl in stoppage time.

Arsenal’s other loanees Kerrea Gilbert, Vincent van den Berg and Philippe Senderos were not in action this weekend.

Which players are likely to sign scholarships next summer?

We are not even halfway through the under-18s season and already some promising schoolboys have featured for Steve Bould’s side. It is about this time of year when the club start to analyse which youngsters they should award scholarships to for the next campaign. But just who will form the batch of 2009? Read on to find out…

One very obvious candidate is Benik Afobe. The young striker had a phenomenal season for the u-16s last season and has stepped up to the u-18s this term, scoring on his debut against Fulham. Benik has also stepped up to the international stage, scoring three goals in his first two matches for England u-16s. The Dagenham-born attacker has already agreed his scholarship deal and is training full time at London Colney, having been handed the no.74 shirt.

Another player to represent England at youth level is Chuks Aneke. Chuks who can play as either a holding midfielder or as a winger has also agreed his scholarship despite not having made his u-18 debut yet. Comfortable in possession, Chuks also has an eye for goal and scored a brace in the 6-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town recently.

Oguzhan Ozyakup and Ignasi Miquel-Pons both joined the club in the summer and have been involved in the u-18s squads. They have both already agreed their scholarships although it is not yet certain whether they will be considered part of the 2008 or 2009 batch.

Miquel’s partner at the back for the u-18s, Daniel Boateng, has also been named on the bench for the u-18s this season. A strong and commanding presence, Daniel has elected to play for Ghana at youth level and should be awarded a scholarship.

On the goalkeeping front, Sean McDermott will sign scholarship forms with the club when he joins in May. With his arrival, it remains questionable whether another goalie, Charlie Mann, will also be given a scholarship.

Elsewhere, Nico Yennaris is a promising player but injuries have halted his progress throughout his fledgling career. He was out with a back problem but his since started light running and is close to a return.

Midfielder Neil Johnston has scored four goals for the u-16s so far this season and will be looking to impress the coaching staff further in his bid to win a scholarship.

Amongst each intake there are also usually one or two players signed from other clubs in either the January or Summer transfer windows.

We will of course keep you updated with the progress of all of these players right here on ArsenalYouth.

Harsh lessons to be learned from Hoyte’s baptism of fire

So much has happened at Arsenal over the past couple of days that it is difficult to put it all into perspective.  William Gallas issues his derogatory comments about his team-mates on Thursday, he’s stripped of the captaincy on Friday and left out of the squad to face Manchester City, meaning that Gavin Hoyte makes his Premier League debut at very short notice. Oh, and he’s up against Robinho…

The younger brother of Justin, Gavin is the current captain of Arsenal Reserves and can operate at both right-back and centre-back. His previous two appearances for the club have both come in the Carling Cup and, whilst those games were against decent opposition, the Premier League is a different complexion entirely.

Initially when I saw that Hoyte was starting I was shocked, Song could have played at right-back and Ramsey in the middle, but then again I’m not Arsene Wenger. In a recent interview with the Official Matchday Programme, Hoyte stated that if he could improve one attribute of his game then it would be his passing, but that wasn’t the area where he was at fault today.

His first touch was poor and he was run ragged by City at times but lessons can be learned from this. In fact,  the likes of Silvestre and Clichy didn’t have the best of games either, so maybe it was a team thing more than individual mistakes.

Hoyte is blessed with great pace, like his brother, but can often be found lacking in certain situations. What he needs is a loan spell at a Championship or a Premier League team in the bottom half of the table. That would help him adapt to different situations and get used to fighting for three points every week. That is unlikely to happen though, with options as short as they are, and Wenger reluctant to let his youngsters go out on loan until the club’s participation in this season’s Carling Cup ceases.

It was always going to be a difficult situation for Hoyte to make his debut today, coming into a side clearly lacking confidence and self-belief. Just days earlier, he had helped England u-19s keep a clean sheet against Germany, making a couple of vital interceptions and several well-timed tackles.

Had this match been played at home then things might have been different. Emirates Stadium is far removed from a rainy Eastlands, but the best players can adapt to any situation.

Time will tell whether Gavin Hoyte will make it at Arsenal. He certainly has a lot of talent but in the long-run will find it hard to dislodge Bacary Sagna, although there aren’t many right-backs below him in the pecking order to worry about.

Things are not going well for Arsenal at the moment but now the real test will come for Hoyte. Can he pick himself up from this, show what he’s made of, and convince Arsene Wenger that he is good enough to play Premier League football.

Frimpong scores winner as Arsenal U18s edge Palace clash

An Emmanuel Frimpong strike meant Arsenal under-18s extended their lead at the top of Premier Academy League Group A to five points after scraping a 3-2 victory away to Crystal Palace this morning. The Gunners had raced into the lead thanks to goals from captain Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and striker Rhys Murphy, before the hosts pulled themselves back on level pegging but Frimpong’s effort tilted the game in Arsenal’s favour.

The Gunners had not played a competitive game for two weeks and coach Steve Bould made three changes from the 2-0 win over Ipswich. Craig Eastmond came in for Anton Blackwood at right-back, whilst Gilles Sunu and Oguzhan Ozyakup were handed starts in midfield at the expense of Sam Byles and Cedric Evina, who dropped to the bench.

————————Shea—————————

—Eastmond—-Bartley————–Ayling——Cruise—–

—Sunu——–Ozyakup————Frimpong—-Thomas (c)-

—————Murphy————-Deacon—————

The versatile Jay Emmanuel-Thomas found himself out on the left flank today after playing a more forward role against the Tractor Boys but showed no problems finding the back of the net this time around and put Arsenal in the lead with a fierce strike. It was Thomas’s fourth goal of the season and it certainly won’t be his last.

Steve Bould’s side were in control of affairs and were dominating possession. Sunu and Ozyakup came close to extending the advantage and Arsenal did eventually make it 2-0. The alert Rhys Murphy spotted the Eagles’ ‘keeper off his line and executed a superb chip for his fifth goal of the season. He will definitely want to watch that one again on Arsenal TV.

But Palace weren’t out of it just yet and soon pulled a goal back. Arsenal then conceded a penalty which was converted for 2-2.

The Eagles had several chances to steal all three points but it was Frimpong, and Arsenal, who would have the last laugh.