Arsenal goalkeeper Remy Mitchell is reportedly closing in on a move to Swansea City.
According to Football Insider, Swansea have moved quickly to secure a move for Mitchell after it was revealed that he will be released when his Arsenal contract expires at the end of this month.
The 18-year-old played 25 times for the U18s having first featured at that level when he was just 14. He was also involved for the U23s in the Premier League Cup.
This week it was confirmed that Khayon Edwards has signed his first professional contract with the club.
Arsenal have yet to reveal what will happen with the remaining second-year scholars – Mauro Bandeira, Taylor Foran, Luigi Gaspar, Henry Jeffcott, Charles Sagoe Jr, James Sweet and Billy Vigar.
Arsenal youngster Omari Hutchinson has been called up by Jamaica at senior level for the first time.
The prospect, who was born in England, has represented the Three Lions at U19 and U17 levels.
However, he is eligible to play for Jamaica due to his heritage and has been named in the squad for a friendly against Catalonia on May 25th.
Hutchinson has yet to make his competitive senior debut for Arsenal but he did feature in pre-season last year and has been an unused substitute on many occasions.
This season Hutchinson, who can play out wide or as an attacking midfielder, was arguably Arsenal’s standout performer at U23 level. It is anticipated that the 18-year-old could go on loan next season.
Marcelo Flores, meanwhile, has committed his international future to Mexico despite also being eligible to represent Canada or England. He has been named in their latest squad and will hope to be selected for the World Cup later this year.
Arsenal have three other senior internationals in their U23 squad – Daniel Ballard (Northern Ireland), Karl Hein (Estonia) and Omar Rekik (Tunisia).
Arsenal youngster Ryan Alebiosu is the subject of interest from Championship clubs Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End and Bristol City according to Football Insider.
The report suggests that the 20-year-old could be allowed to leave permanently this summer if a suitable offer is made, although it is possible that he could be loaned out again.
A product of Arsenal’s Hale End academy, Alebiosu, who can play as a right-back or a winger, signed scholarship terms in 2018 and progressed to sign a professional deal.
Last season he received his first senior call-up as he was named on the bench against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. He was also an unused substitute against Burnley in the Premier League.
Shortly afterwards Alebiosu joined League One side Crewe Alexandra on loan, although his temporary spell was disrupted by an injury. However, he recovered to feature towards the end of the campaign and made six appearances in total.
With Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Reuell Walters progressing well and Zak Swanson still at the club, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Alebiosu was allowed to depart.
Konstantinos Mavropanos played the full game as Stuttgart beat Cologne 2-1 to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga. According to various reports, Stuttgart now have an obligation to sign Mavropanos permanently for £2.5 million.
Pablo Mari scored a late goal as Udinese lost 3-2 to Spezia. The defender played the whole game.
Hector Bellerin played the whole game as Real Betis beat Granada 2-0.
William Saliba and Matteo Guendouzi played the whole game as Marseille lost 2-0 to Rennes.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles played the first half as Roma drew 1-1 with Venezia.
Auston Trusty played the whole game as Colorado Rapids beat Los Angeles 2-0.
Harry Clarke played 67 minutes as Hibernian won 4-0 against St. Johnstone.
Reiss Nelson was due to feature in Feyenoord’s 2-1 defeat to Twente but was removed from the starting lineup at short notice as a precaution.
Tim Akinola missed out due to injury as Dundee United beat Ross County 2-1.
Jordan McEneff wasn’t involved as Shelbourne beat Drogheda United 1-0.
Lucas Torreira’s Fiorentina play Sampdoria this evening.
Arsenal held their final training session today ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League game away to Newcastle United.
Zak Swanson, Jonathan Dinzeyi, Charlie Patino, Marcelo Flores and Salah-Eddine were all called upon for the session.
There will again be some academy involvement on the bench, with Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey out injured while Rob Holding is suspended.
In addition, there are doubts over Benjamin White and Gabriel.
Swanson, Patino, Salah-Eddine and Flores have all previously been called up in the Premier League as unused substitutes, while centre-back Dinzeyi will be hoping to be named in the matchday squad for the first time.
A host of youngsters trained with the Arsenal first-team squad today.
Marcelo Flores, Charlie Patino, Salah-Eddine, Zak Swanson and Jonathan Dinzeyi were all called upon ahead of tomorrow night’s game away to Tottenham Hotspur.
There could be up to four places available on the bench for youngsters with Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey ruled out while Benjamin White and Bukayo Saka are doubtful.
Arsenal U18s must wait to discover whether they will finish in fourth or fifth place in the league, but, as has been the case with the U23s, there has been a lot of progression this campaign.
Dan Micciche took charge of the U18s this season although he had previously worked with many of these players at younger age groups.
Unlike in many previous campaigns, the core of the side consisted of second year scholars, which meant that there was a rather experienced feel to the team on most occasions.
Some players, such as Charlie Patino and Omari Hutchinson, weren’t involved at all in the league as they had already progressed beyond this level, while others like Reuell Walters, Marcelo Flores and Jack Henry-Francis stepped up to the U23s as the campaign went on.
Perhaps the biggest success of this season is Brooke Norton-Cuffy. The defender was eligible to play for the U18s this season but featured just once in the FA Youth Cup and spent the second half of the campaign excelling in League One with Lincoln City.
The Youth Cup exit against Colchester United was a major source of frustration, especially given that this crop of players is considered to be one of Arsenal’s best intakes in recent years.
However, in the league Arsenal often fared rather better despite still lacking consistency at times.
Striker Khayon Edwards was the star of the show with 16 goals and he also developed his all-round game by operating in midfield at times.
Bradley Ibrahim flitted between playing at centre-back and in midfield, although the suspicion remains that he is better in the latter position. It was a positive year of development for the 17-year-old.
Amario Cozier-Duberry, who can play as a winger or a wing-back, frequently excelled with his flair and Charles Sagoe Jr also made a name for himself with some consistent performances after he barely featured during the previous season. This time around he ended up at the top of the appearance charts. Capable of playing up front or out wide, he was also used as a striker towards the end of the season.
James Sweet made terrific progress and weighed in with nine assists. The Welsh youth international finished the season very strongly and can play as a wing-back or in central midfield.
Billy Vigar also made a significant contribution in the second half of the season and looks to have done enough to have earned a professional contract.
Midfielder Mauro Bandeira was a mainstay of the side and often impressed as he pushed forward with greater regularity.
Defender Taylor Foran was a regular again, with Henry Jeffcott also often called upon when fit.
First-year scholar Josh Robinson developed very well as he showed his strength and technique.
Like many of the first years, Mathaeus Roberts had to be patient for opportunities in the first half of the campaign but he often seized his chances later in the season. Elian Quesada-Thorn impressed at left wing-back before an injury brought his campaign to an early end.
Arsenal may well regret the departure of Amani Richards, who left for Leicester City in January after growing frustrated at his lack of playing time. Richards has impressed for Leicester and Arsenal will have to be wary that others could follow suit by leaving.
Forwards Kaleel Green and Henry Timi Davies, for example, didn’t get many chances, with midfielder Jimi Gower also used sparingly. Ismail Oulad M’Hand was also on the periphery of proceedings before a strong end to the season. Arsenal did introduce the U17 games programmes to give some of these players chances but it was still a rather frustrating situation for them.
One of the most exciting aspects of the season was seeing schoolboys Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly continue to impress when given chances for the U18s. Lewis-Skelly had an injury that kept him out of action for some time but he looked at home on the couple of occasions he was called upon, while Nwaneri played with a swagger and assurance that suggests he has a very bright future.
Next season there will be a significant amount of changes and it will be interesting to see how the new scholars adapt to this level.
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Arsenal 5 (Sweet 2, Henry-Francis 25, 81, Bandeira 31, Ismail 90)
Arsenal U18s finished their season in superb style as they thrashed rivals Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 away today, with Jack Henry-Francis scoring a brace.
The win saw the young Gunners move up to fourth place, although they will have to wait until next weekend to discover where they will finish.
Goalkeeper Remy Mitchell captained the side in what is likely to be his final appearance for the club. He first played for the U18s as a schoolboy in 2018.
A host of other players were also playing their last game for the U18s, with many of them set to remain at the club next season – Henry-Francis, Henry Jeffcott, Mauro Bandeira, Billy Vigar, James Sweet and Charles Sagoe Jr all fall into that category.
Taylor Foran wasn’t involved, while Tino Quamina missed out through injury. Reuell Walters and Henry-Francis were called upon with the U23s season having finished.
Mitchell
Robinson-Ibrahim-Jeffcott
Walters-Sweet-Henry Francis-Cozier Duberry
Bandeira-Sagoe Jr
Vigar
Subs: Roberts (for Vigar, 69), Ismail (for Ibrahim, 84), Gower (for Henry-Francis, 87). Not used: Kovacevic, Green.
Arsenal got off to the perfect start with James Sweet, who has been one of the team’s standout performers this season, opening the scoring after just two minutes.
Tottenham had an opportunity to equalise but Jamie Donley missed from the penalty spot.
Henry-Francis proceeded to make it 2-0 in the 25th minute and the midfielder then turned provider for Mauro Bandeira, who scored on his 42nd and final appearance at this level.
Arsenal brought on Mathaeus Roberts in place of Billy Vigar as the second half wore on and eventually it was 4-0, with Henry-Francis scoring again after Bandeira returned the favour by setting him up.
While much of the focus today was on the players involved for the final time at this level, there was a glimpse of the future too as substitute Ismail Oulad M’Hand, who will hope to be more involved next season, scored to add further gloss to the scoreline.
Jeorge Bird's Arsenal Youth 