One in, one out as Crowley and Brown go their separate ways

They are good friends from their time together in the England set-up, but Dan Crowley and Jordan Brown missed out on being club team-mates by a matter of hours this week.

Brown, who impressed for Arsenal at U18 level during his final season as a schoolboy, was offered a scholarship at London Colney, but, after much consideration, opted to turn it down in favour of a move to West Ham United, with the striker completing his move to Upton Park on Thursday.

Less than 24 hours later Crowley secured his protracted move to the Gunners amidst much anticipation, although it is unlikely that the club will officially announce the signing of the midfielder from Aston Villa as he does not turn 16 until August.

Brown’s departure leaves Arsenal considerably light in the striking department at U18 level, especially as Austin Lipman, who was the regular centre-forward throughout last season’s Academy League campaign, will be hoping to step up to the U21s during 2013/14. Several recent trialists, including Mads Thychosen of Denmark and the young Swede Jamaal Raage, are under consideration, but, if a signing is not made in that position then a schoolboy, such as Olufela Olomola or Stephy Mavididi, may receive regular run-outs.

As far as Crowley is concerned, it will be especially interesting to see how he is deployed during his first season at the club. The youngster prefers to operate in an advanced midfield role, which could cause coach Carl Laraman something of a selection problem when the FA Youth Cup comes around, with Glen Kamara, Jack Jebb and Gedion Zelalem also hoping to be involved.

Given that the likes of Chuks Aneke, Kristoffer Olsson and Jon Toral are also on the club’s books, Crowley will face a fight to establish himself in the U21 set-up, despite having featured twice at that level for Villa towards the end of the campaign. However, such is Crowley’s outstanding vision and passing ability, not to mention his impressive scoring record at junior levels, it will be extremely difficult to ignore his numerous talents for long.

Capped nine times by England at U17 level, Crowley’s ability to link play and weave his way past defenders has seen him labelled as one of the country’s outstanding prospects. Arsenal have certainly secured a talented player, but the way in which his first season in North London pans out will be especially intriguing.

 

Crowley to join Arsenal tomorrow as Roberts joins list of departures

Arsenal will complete the signing of talented Aston Villa midfielder Dan Crowley tomorrow, with the England U17 international due at London Colney to finalise his move to the club.

It is expected that the signing of Yaya Sanogo from Auxerre will also be completed in the forthcoming days. Whilst Sanogo will go straight into the first-team squad for the forthcoming campaign, Crowley, who is regarded as one of the country’s outstanding prospects, is expected to begin life at Arsenal in the U18s.

The midfielder has consistently caught the eye at international level and was the scourge of Arsenal U18s as Villa ran out 6-1 winners in the Academy League late last season. He will add to the club’s collection of promising central-midfielders, joining Kristoffer Olsson, Jon Toral, Gedion Zelalem and Jack Jebb.

Arsenal have also confirmed today the departure of 10 youngsters, with striker Philip Roberts joining those who were already revealed to have left the club. A Republic of Ireland youth international signed from Norwich City in 2010, Roberts shone for Arsenal at U18 level during his first season at the club but failed to impress during a loan spell with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in Scotland this campaign.

Sanchez Watt, who scored on his first-team debut in the Carling Cup, has also been let go. The striker has experienced six loan spells away from the club in recent years and it has been clear for some time that he was not going to make the grade at Emirates Stadium.

Midfielder Conor Henderson, meanwhile, featured against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup in 2011, but has seen his young career plagued by injuries. He joins left-back Jernade Meade, who featured twice for the first-team, in seeking pastures new.

Goalkeepers James Shea and Reice Charles-Cook have also departed, with Shea being released despite making the bench for the first-team in all four senior competitions. Defender Sead Hajrovic, who previously spent time on loan with Barnet, demonstrated much improvement this season but couldn’t force his way into Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans.

The departures of striker Nigel Neita and left-back Samir Bihmoutine are unsurprising, with neither player having fully imposed themselves on the U21 set-up. The versatile Josh Rees has offers from several clubs and is expected to make a decision on his future shortly. Centre-back Zach Fagan has also been released following the expiry of his scholarship.

Five further youngsters who were let go by the club have already found new suitors. Martin Angha and Kyle Ebecilio have joined Nuremberg and FC Twente respectively, midfielder Jordan Wynter has secured a deal with Bristol City, Elton Monteiro has signed for Club Brugge and Craig Eastmond will become a permanent Colchester United player on July 1st.

Assessing those on the fringes

Many promising youngsters have been on the cusp of the Arsenal first-team squad in recent years without managing to make a sustained breakthrough- the likes of Nacer Barazite and Gilles Sunu spring to mind- and the final step can often prove to be the most difficult.

There are several players on Arsenal’s books who are still technically young professionals yet have already been involved in the senior set-up in some capacity. Here is a run-down of those who will be seeking to move ever closer to achieving their aims in 2013/14.

Ignasi Miquel

Something of a veteran at second-string level, with four years’ worth of Reserve and U21 experience  at the club, Miquel already has a considerable amount of experience for the first-team too, having featured five times in the Premier League as well as making a solitary outing in the Champions League. Somewhat surprisingly, he has yet to experience a loan spell, something which is likely to change next season.

Chuks Aneke

Just back from a hugely successful loan spell with Crewe Alexandra in League One, powerful midfielder Aneke has intentions of adding to his cameo appearance in the Carling Cup against Shrewsbury Town two years ago. Spells with Stevenage and Preston North End did not yield great results, but the youngster demonstrated his potential at Crewe and will hope to feature heavily during the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.

Zak Ansah

A striker whose fledgling career has been heavily affected by persistent injuries, Ansah made the

Zak Ansah

squad for the Champions League trip to Olympiacos last season, but has struggled to find the net regularly for the U21s and, when called upon at that level, has often been forced to play on the right wing to accomodate Chuba Akpom. A loan spell could be in the offing next campaign.

Hector Bellerin

Having enjoyed a hugely impressive 2012/13 campaign, which witnessed a welcome improvement in his defensive capabilities, big things will be expected of Bellerin next time around, especially given the possible departure of first-choice right-back Bacary Sagna. Bellerin made the bench in the Capital One Cup last season and should feature heavily in that competition during the next campaign.

Daniel Boateng

Another player who has had to endure his fair share of injury problems, Boateng made his Arsenal debut against Bolton Wanderers in the Carling Cup in 2011, but is unlikely to add to that outing during what is set to be his final season at the club. The centre-back has been unable to establish himself during loan spells with Swindon Town and Oxford United and could head out on temporary transfer again in the coming months, which may be the precursor to a permanent move.

Thomas Eisfeld

After a superb cameo appearance against Reading in the Capital One Cup, it was something of a surprise that we didn’t see more of the German youngster in the first-team last season. Possessing a fantastic goalscoring record since joining the club, some concerns have been raised about his overall contribution in matches, but he should feature in some capacity for the first-team next season.

Damian Martinez

The Argentinian goalkeeper was a composed figure on his debut against Coventry City in the Capital One Cup and also made the bench for numerous Premier League fixtures, but endured a torrid time in the aforementioned Reading fixture and didn’t feature thereafter. His end-of-season form for the second-string was impressive, however, and could see him involved again next campaign.

Serge Gnabry

The dynamic winger made his Premier League and Champions League debuts in quick succession during a difficult time for the club early last season, and is a prime candidate to earn more call-ups next campaign. Extremely direct as well as possessing impressive technique, Gnabry is widely regarded as one of Arsenal’s most promising talents.

Benik Afobe

You certainly wouldn’t have put money on Afobe going past his 20th birthday without making a competitive appearance for the first-team, but injuries and loan spells have made that predicament an unfortunate reality. Having initially shone at Millwall after a difficult stint with Bolton Wanderers, he is currently recovering from another long-term problem and, with the impending signing of Yaya Sanogo, doubts have been cast over his Arsenal future.

Kristoffer Olsson

The technically-talented Swedish midfielder featured for the first-team in the pre-season Markus Liebherr Cup last year, but was disappointed not to make the squad in the Capital One Cup. He should be involved in that competition this time around, having shone a capability to operate as a deep-lying midfielder during the latter half of the season.

Nico Yennaris

Having burst into the limelight when introduced at half-time against Manchester United in the Premier League in January 2012, Yennaris hasn’t featured as regularly as he would have liked for the first-team since then and will head out on loan during 2013/14 in order to gain regular playing time, with his previous spell with Notts County having been cut short by illness.

Chuba Akpom

The prodigious striker, like Ansah, made the bench against Olympiacos last season, but has usurped his strike colleague in terms of goals and overall performances. Next season should see the 17 year old make his first sustained outings for the first-team.

Arsenal quartet striving for success in U19 EUROs

The season may be over for Arsenal at Academy level, but for four of the club’s most promising talents there are still several important fixtures to fulfil, with Hector Bellerin, Serge Gnabry, Kristoffer Olsson and Chuba Akpom all hoping to help their countries to qualification for the UEFA U-19 European Championships, which will take place in Lithuania from July 20th to August 1st.

Akpom’s England began their Elite Round qualifiers yesterday with a 1-1 draw against Georgia, with Crewe Alexandra’s Max Clayton scoring for an England side that played the majority of the game with ten men after the dismissal of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with just seven minutes on the clock.

Akpom, who enjoyed a superb season for Arsenal, played the full 90 minutes and will expect to be involved again when England face Belgium, who are hosting their qualification group, tomorrow. Scotland are the other side in what is likely to be a fiercely-contested Group 6.

Bellerin, meanwhile, has been spending time back in Barcelona visiting family and friends before linking up with his Spain team-mates for their assault on Group 4 early next month, a section which also contains Croatia, Greece and Poland. Having previously featured for the U17s, this is Bellerin’s first call-up for the elder age-group and the youngster will hope to enjoy a successful summer ahead of a season in which he is likely to make his debut for the Arsenal first-team. He would most probably have been joined by fellow young Gunner Jon Toral in the squad were the latter not still recovering from injury.

Gnabry, who has been capped by Germany from U16 level upwards, will be a key part of the side that takes on Cyprus, Norway and the Netherlands in Group 5, whilst Olsson, who has already played five times for Sweden’s U19s, should be heavily involved as his country face Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and France.

Should any of the quartet progress to the Finals, they are likely to miss a large portion of the club’s pre-season programme, including the development friendlies against Boreham Wood, Leyton Orient and Luton Town.

ENGLAND FIXTURES: Sunday: Belgium, Wednesday: Scotland.

GERMANY FIXTURES: June 5th: Cyprus, June 7th: Norway, June 10th: Netherlands.

SPAIN FIXTURES: June 5th: Poland, June 7th: Greece, June 10th: Croatia.

SWEDEN FIXTURES: June 5th: France, June 7th: Austria, June 10th: Bosnia-Herzegovina

 

Arsenal Youth review- reflections on the 2012/13 campaign

It has been another highly eventful season for Arsenal at youth level, with a staggering 78 players featuring for the club in the four main youth competitions. The Gunners may have ultimately ended the season without silverware on all four fronts, but there are many positives to be taken from the 2012/13 campaign, not least the run to the semi-finals in the NextGen Series and the continued progression of some of the more highly-regarded starlets at the club. Here, we assess how Arsenal fared in each competition.

U21 Premier League

Despite getting off to a flying start at U21 level, with three victories in succession under Terry Burton, results began to tail off for Arsenal’s second-string, but they were still able to take their place in the Elite Group. They largely struggled for form following the turn of the year, however, and, in the end were fortunate to finish fifth out of the eight teams in the group, although they were not helped by the change in coaching staff midway through the campaign, which saw Steve Gatting replace Burton, who in turn stepped up to the role as Head of the Academy.

Best performer

There were several players who used the U21s as an opportunity to express their considerable potential, not least Chuba Akpom, with the 17 year old striker establishing himself as the side’s main attacker and registering an impressive 13 goals in 19 starts. Hector Bellerin, Kristoffer Olsson, Isaac Hayden and Serge Gnabry also turned in several memorable performances. 

Best game

There were several contenders to choose from, but the opening game of the season, when Bolton Wanderers were comfortably dispatched of at Emirates Stadium with a 3-1 victory, was particularly impressive, not least because the Gunners had to cope with the early dismissal of goalkeeper Damian Martinez.

Best moment

After 14 months out of action, it was a heartening sight to see Jack Wilshere back in the Arsenal side as the U21s took on West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Arsenal lost 1-0 and Wilshere was far from his effervescent best, but the mere sight of him back on the pitch was one that warmed the hearts of all Arsenal fans.

NextGen Series

At one stage it seemed as if Arsenal’s maiden venture into European youth football was going to end prematurely after they went four group stage games without accruing a single goal or victory. A rallying 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao secured their progression to the knock-out rounds, however, and, from there, Inter Milan and CSKA Moscow were fought off in memorable fashion. It ended in disappointment, with an epic seven-goal semi-final eventually swinging the way of London rivals Chelsea, but Arsenal still finished as the fourth best team in the competition.

Best performer

Akpom was impressive on this front, too, but Bellerin was outstanding throughout, with the Spanish right-back attacking at will whilst also showing a welcome improvement in his defensive capabilities. His showing against Chelsea was of tremendous quality, and, although he didn’t have a goal to show for his efforts the former Barcelona youngster racked up plenty of assists.

Best game

It was far from the prettiest game to watch, but Arsenal demonstrated terrific resilience to overcome Inter Milan on a near-waterlogged pitch. Nico Yennaris eventually struck the most dramatic of winners, sparking mass celebrations from all players and the coaching staff.

Best moment

Gnabry’s stupendous goal to force extra-time against Chelsea certainly set the pulses racing and, although it ultimately proved meaningless, can still be looked back upon as a strike of superb quality after terrific build-up play by Bellerin.

U18 Premier League

Another disappointing campaign in terms of results at this level, with Arsenal having to spend the second half of the season in the lowest group, before only finishing fourth in that section. Like the U21s, there were considerable changes in the coaching staff, with Pat Holland’s short-lived reign followed by the introduction of Carl Laraman. A plethora of schoolboys also received run-outs as many of the more established players stepped up to the U21s.

Best performer

Glen Kamara stood out from the start following his move to the club from Southend United. The defensive midfielder emphasised his dual qualities as a stylish, yet robust player and was rewarded with a goal late in the season against Middlesbrough. He’ll seek to step up to the U21s next season, whilst Anthony Jeffrey, Jack Jebb, Alex Iwobi and Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill also enjoyed impressive seasons.

Best game

Arsenal exacted a measure of revenge away to Aston Villa, winning 5-2 against the side who had trounced them 6-1 at London Colney just two months previously. Jeffrey, back from his loan spell  with Stevenage, found the net, as did Iwobi, Jebb, Austin Lipman and Alfred Mugabo.

Best moment

It may ultimately have been a disappointing 3-1 defeat, but Arsenal’s deployment of a side consisting entirely of schoolboys away to Manchester City offered a glimpse of the not-so-distant future, with the likes of Chris Willock and Stephy Mavididi receiving their first run-outs at that level.

FA Youth Cup

Arsenal progressed past the Fourth Round in this competition for the first time since they last won the trophy in 2009, but came unstuck against a spirited Everton side who defeated them 4-2 at Underhill. They had previously overcome Newcastle United and Fulham, the latter thanks to an extra-time winner from substitute Lipman.

Best performer

Jeffrey was in outstanding form during this run, teaming up on numerous occasions with the equally effective Bellerin down the right flank. His searing pace brought him countless goalscoring opportunities, and he scored against Newcastle and Fulham before surprisingly being substituted against Everton.

Best game

The win over Newcastle saw Arsenal playing how they are supposed to- with each member of the side contributing to a free-flowing and highly enjoyable display against a bewildered set of opponents.

Best moment

Lipman’s extra-time winner against Fulham was superb, as was schoolboy Jordan Brown’s cameo appearance off the bench against Newcastle in the previous round.

Whatever happened to #6… Stokes, Rodgers, Stack, Holloway, Fabregas

ANTHONY STOKES 

Signed scholarship: 2004. Arsenal apps: 1. Subsequent career: Sunderland, Sheffield United (loan), Crystal Palace (loan), Hibernian, Celtic. Republic of Ireland international.

A strong, powerful centre-forward who perhaps would have made more than just a solitary senior outing for the Gunners were it not for the presence of Nicklas Bendtner and Arturo Lupoli, Stokes has carved out an impressive career for himself at a relatively high level. After a hugely impressive loan spell at Falkirk, he was let go by Arsenal, who recouped £2million by selling him to Sunderland, the side against whom he made his competitive debut for the Gunners. Despite scoring a couple of impressive goals under the stewardship of Roy Keane, he was faded out at the Stadium of Light, with his perceived drinking problems of real concern. After a couple of loan spells he made a permanent switch to Hibernian, where he impressed, earning him a move to Celtic in 2010, for whom he has been a regular scorer. Occasionally called up by Republic of Ireland at international level, Stokes, who does not turn 25 until July, can be proud of his achievements thus far.

PAUL RODGERS

Signed scholarship: 2006. Arsenal apps: 1. Subsequent career:  Northampton Town, Newport County, Billericay Town.

A versatile defender who is quick across the ground but always liable to make a costly mistake, Rodgers’ only senior outing for the club does not bring back fond memories. The former England youth international started away to Burnley in the Carling Cup but was withdrawn at half-time following a poor performance. Seeking to re-build his career, Rodgers ended the 2008/09 season on loan at Northampton Town before making a permanent switch to Sixfields that summer. After two relatively impressive seasons with Northampton, he was surprisingly let go in 2011, subsequently dropping into the non-league with Newport County. He can now be found playing for Billericay Town in the Isthmian League Premier Divison.

GRAHAM STACK

Signed scholarship: 1998. Arsenal apps: 5. Subsequent career: Reading, Leeds United (loan), Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan), Plymouth Argyle, Blackpool (loan), Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan), Hibernian, Barnet. 

Now 31, Stack played the entirety of Arsenal’s run to the Carling Cup semi-finals in 2003/04 and was also on the bench for several league games during the club’s sequence of 49 unbeaten games, including the title-clinching fixture at White Hart Lane. Much of his time at Arsenal was spent on loan, however, which included an altercation with a pitch-invading supporter whilst at Belgian link club Beveren. He eventually joined Reading on a permanent basis in 2006, but failed to make a league appearance for the Royals, instead experiencing further loan spells before ending up at Plymouth Argyle where, again, he struggled to make an impact. He has experienced regular football in the last four years, however, firstly for Hibernian, and now for Barnet, who were recently relegated from League Two.

CRAIG HOLLOWAY 

Signed scholarship: 2000. Arsenal apps: 0. Subsequent career: Farnborough, Southend United, Ebbsfleet United, Chelmsford City, Braintree Town, Bromley, Welling United, Margate.

A goalkeeper who failed to make a senior appearance for Arsenal, Holloway did make the matchday squad on several occasions, including for a Champions League trip to Valencia. However, it seemed he was destined for a career in the lower echelons of the game and he has spent over a decade traipsing around various non-league clubs. He now runs his own goalkeeping academy, whilst still playing for Margate in the Isthmian League.

CESC FABREGAS

Signed scholarship: 2003. Arsenal apps: 303 (57 goals). Subsequent career: Barcelona. Spain international

Nobody needs to be told the story of the Spaniard’s career, but it remains something of a technicality that he can still be referred to as a product of the Arsenal youth system despite spending the vast majority of his formative years with Barcelona. Plucked from La Masia in 2003, Fabregas was a regular in the first-team the following season and continued to develop apace before eventually being granted captaincy of the side in 2008. It was inevitable that he would eventually return to Barcelona and that day finally came in 2011, but the World Cup and European Championship winner may well make the switch back to North London in the future.

 

Eastmond the first of the departed to find new club as he joins Colchester

With 15 youngsters having seen their careers at the club come to an end last week, the summer will see those who have departed attempting to find new clubs. It will be particularly interesting to see which levels of the footballing pyramid the Arsenal graduates end up playing at and the first of those to find a permanent club is midfielder Craig Eastmond, who will join Colchester United on July 1st, having scored twice in 13 appearances for the League One side during a loan spell earlier this season which was curtailed by injury.

Eastmond was derided in some quarters for still being part of the Arsenal U21 squad this season at the age of 22, but it was not too long ago that a breakthrough into the Arsenal first-team appeared to be within his reach. Having played every minute of Arsenal’s FA Youth Cup success in 2008/09 as a right-back, Eastmond was thrust into the limelight when he was handed a starting berth against Liverpool in what was then the Carling Cup the following season.

The Battersea-born Hale End graduate excelled on that occasion and that display prompted Arsene Wenger to take a further look at the youngster. There were some raised eyebrows when Eastmond was involved in four Premier League games in the second half of that campaign, which included costly defeats away to Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic. The following campaign he was more sporadically involved, but did feature in the Champions League tie away to Shakhtar Donetsk, in which he scored an unfortunate own goal. That proved to be the death knell as far as his Arsenal career was concerned, with Eastmond sent out on loan to Millwall shortly afterwards. He made a handful of appearances for The Lions, and also enjoyed spells with Wycombe Wanderers and Colchester, but, with the likes of Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong having already broken into the first-team squad, it had long been apparent that Eastmond’s chances of a breakthrough at Emirates Stadium had expired.

Eastmond is well schooled in the Arsenal mould of football, having amassed over a century of appearances for the club at reserve and youth levels since breaking into the Reserves as a schoolboy in 2006/07. He will hope to hold down a regular place in the starting line-up at Colchester in an environment in which he is already familiar, and it would not be a huge surprise to see him rejoined at the Weston Homes Community Stadium by Sanchez Watt, who has also been let go by the Gunners.

Eastmond’s departure, and that of Watt, means that none of the 2007 intake of scholars, of whom much was expected, will have made the grade at the club, whilst, with James Shea also set to depart, the number of players remaining who featured in that Youth Cup success is also rapidly dwindling.