Oguzhan Ozyakup, whose Arsenal contract expires in less than three months time, is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal but, with the implication being that there is an improved contract on the table, the Dutchman is expected to extend his three year stay at London Colney.
Since arriving at the club whilst still technically a schoolboy in 2008 having represented Holland at that summer’s UEFA u-17 European Championships, Ozyakup has increasingly grown in stature, winning the Premier Academy League twice before establishing himself as a key member of Neil Banfield’s Reserve side this campaign.
His calmness in possession and his diligence and vision when picking a pass mark him out as one of the second string’s creators-in-chief, operating in a similar position to the one Jack Wilshere occupies for the first-team, as one of the two midfielders in the double-pivot in front of the back four. Ozyakup’s deliveries from set-pieces have proven to be a rich source of goals, with his set-piece setting up Arsenal’s goal in what ultimately proved to be an ill-fated FA Youth Cup tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this year.
Should Ozyakup perform an unexpected manoeuvre and opt not to sign a new deal, the club would be losing a potential talent but, with the likes of Chuks Aneke, Kyle Ebecilio and Alban Bunjaku already at the club, it wouldn’t be a huge loss in the short-term.
If, as expected, he does sign a new deal, then Ozyakup will be seeking to make the step up to first-team football next season and, whilst that is unlikely to come at Arsenal, a loan spell, probably to a League One side, would provide an interesting indication of just how suited the elegant 18 year old is to the physical rigours of the English game.
Mark Randall
Regardless of whether Ozyakup departs or not, it is likely that several other youngsters will see their associations with the club come to an end. Mark Randall and Gavin Hoyte are two of the prime candidates, with Randall unable to even command a place on the substitutes bench for Rotherham United in League Two, whilst Hoyte has been stricken down with injury following a spell with Lincoln. Both players will be 21 by the time the new season starts, Randall will turn 22 in September, and now would seem an appropriate time for a parting of the ways.
Beyond that, it will be interesting to see what lies in store for the many returning loanees next season. Kyle Bartley, presuming he shows no ill-effects upon his return from injury, would be a candidate to add depth to the first-team squad, whilst a decision will have to be made on the likes of Henri Lansbury, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Craig Eastmond, who were all on the cusp of the first-team this season before experiencing loan spells of various degrees of success. Others, such as Benik Afobe, are likely to be loaned out again, whilst a new band of loanees, likely to include Luke Freeman and Ignasi Miquel, are likely to compensate for the promotion of many members of the current under-18 squad into the Reserves.
Jeorge Bird's Arsenal Youth 
Randall, G. Hoyte and Eastmond are sh*te and showed be shown the door asap.
Afobe, Freeman & Miquel are good prospects
there all better players than you you bell end!
*should
I always thought Ozyakup was another diminutive creative midfielder but whilst not a beast by any stretch, he’s actually bigger than I thought, this should hopefully stand him in good stead for a loan spell next season. In my opinion Aneke is the biggest talent in the reserves although it will be difficult for him to break through simply because there are a number of players in his way in the position he likes to play. It will be interesting to see these two along with Henderson on loan next season.
Also it would be great if Norwich and Huddersfield get promoted as hopefully Lansbury and Afobe could extend their loans and enhance their experience a step higher
damn we got too many young option on the midfield, some have to be released for sure…..i really like ozzy and i’m sure he got a bright future but it will be hard for him to find a place in the first team with so many young talents of his age or even younger…..probably he will go out on loan next season championship or league one maybe feyenoord too.
Mark randall will be relased for sure , it’s a shame cause he was one of my favourite some years ago but he never improves and arsenal can’t wait him forever,
same with gavin hoyte even if i’m sure gavin will be a good right back at 26-27 but right now is just a league one player…… lansbury and JET should find a loan on a premiership club next year and shea,afobe,henderson,miquel a championship club.Kyle bartley is ready for arsenal first team no doubt about it, aneke needs to learn how to moove off-ball , to improve is playmakering skills so it’s better for him to stay at reserves next year at least till january 2012,
cruise,murphy,deacon,watt i’m not sure they gonna make it at arsenal one day…i will be surprise if one of them make it…..so i think it’s better for the club to loan them at any club available and if they do good sell them like cedric evina.
Will Pedro Botelho be in the mix as well?
Have liked the look of Kyle Bartley but he is still too young to command regular spot in our 1st team. If he can get back at Rangers next year it would be great.
Bartley too young? You mean like Tony Adams was when he was playing regularly at 18 and captain at 21, in a much more physical league?
If you have got it, you’ve got it; and from watching Bartley for Rangers, he actually seems to enjoy defending.
Cahil must be a priority to buy in the close season. The options that we would have in defence would allow us to play differing systems in defence against different opposition.
For more physical teams, we could play 4 big men, with Vermaelen slipping into left back (where he played18 months for Ajax), Djourou at right back, with an English CB partnership of Cahil and Bartley.
This would also allow Clichy (if he stays) and Sagna to have matches off to keep them fresh over the season.
Kos would have to be content with a place on the bench at best. Sorry, but ok for the European games but too often exposed for both, position and physicality in the Prem.
I totally disagree with this comment. Firstly, Tony Adams did play a lot of fist team football as a youngster, but that Arsenal side was not a great team and indeed Tony made a lot of mistakes in his early days. It wasn’t until having gotten a few years of experience under his belt did he start to dominate and thus Arsenal started competing for titles. In fact I can’t name any CB who came straight into a team seriously competing for the title (there might be a few but it is rare). Ferdinand got his experience at West Ham. Who knows where Vidic was at 20? JohnTerry came through at Chelsea but, like Adams, played a lot of senior football before they became serious title contenders. My point, the most important attributes of a CB is judgement and experience; it is too big of a risk to rely on a lad of 20.
You must really rate Bartley but you would pick him at CB ahead of Djourou, Vermaelen and Kosi? I take it you prescribe to the theory that our defence is too small, but I think this is overkill. Firstly Djourou has come on leaps and bounds this year and has the potential to become a real premium CB of the competition. Moving him to RB would be a pointless risk and a potential disaster. Also, whilst winning headers in the box is important, we must also consider our ability to stop the quality service into the box from wide positions. I’m not completely against the idea of Vermaelen at LB but I would take the mobility, speed, and ability to close down wingers and prevent crosses of Clichy and Gibbs.
I think Randall is going to have to go abroad to have a career in Football. A stay at Glenn Hoddle’s academy would be a good move for him. Randall lacks the ability to play in the prem, but also the physical attributes to play in the lower leagues. Hoyte should be released and he will make in career for himself in the lower leagues, but lacks the technique to play for Arsenal. It will be the same for the likes of Murphy, Cruise, Eastmond, and Watt as well.
I believe that Henderson, Lansbury and JET have a chance at Arsenal. Lansbury has the best chance because he’s very fit and has only had sucessful loan spells, while JET’s latest loan is unfortunately resembling his Blackpool move rather than his Doncaster one. Henderson looks more talented than Lansbury, but he tends to get injured frequently and hasn’t proven himself in the lower leagues yet.
Afobe and Aneke have a great chance to make the 1st team and I hope that both are loaned out. Afobe’s spell at Huddersfield is improving all the time, Aneke turns 18 in the summer so he should be loaned out for the first time.
I hope we retrun to playing the kids in the calling cup, I think the benefits of getting players game at that level speeds up their development. Seeing players like Rees, Bunjaku, and Ansah would be good if were playing a lower league side.
Going All Wrong at Rotherham United , If They Play Mark Randall then Im sure mark can help them Get back into the play offs places in league 2 and maybe promotion but who knows ? Just Give the lad a chance
Charlie Mann got released by crystal palace the over day.
To be fair i think Mark Randall is better than how he is being treated i think he needs to be playing at a much higher level and just needs a proper chance because there is no way an arsenal player with that many years training with the club could not be good enough for a struggling league two team, im not having any of that, not with a player of mark’s technical ability. There must be more to the story than we know!
Will you be doing a prediction on the team for the Dallas Cup? I think Rhys Murphy and Thomas Cruise our to old for it?
One young player I would like to see at Arsenal in you summer is Adel Taarabt.
An inferior Arshavin? Why?
Haven’t we had enough of youngest yet? The first team is bollocks ATM.
Only joking, I’m very proud of our youth system and the future star we making.. They could be places up for grabs next season..
Nasri, clichy one year left might sell
Cesc got the wrong DNA
Denilson is of rosicky
Aluminian
Bentdner
Arsenal Reserves are playing Sunderland Reserves tomorrow night at 7 PM at underhill.
Jeorge Bird Arsenal Youth >>>>>>>>>>. YoungGuns
That because I’m not a pro player u twat!!!!
their all no where near good enough to even get in our reserves team
So is that why eastmond is reserve team captain with more first team appearances out of any player in that team you knob…
And he’s so shit he can’t even get into Millwalls team, You MUG!!!!
Yeah eastmond is a funny one really impressed when he first broke through. But this may be the problem with Wenger’s policy is that Players think they’ve already made it, also they don’t have anyone to learn from. Randall seems to be in the same boat. I think they will eventually be Premiership players like Seb Larsson but unfortunatley they are not good enough at the moment to be playing for Arsenal. We need to be more ruthless like Barca. for me Denilson, Rosicky, Bentdner, Almunia, Randall, Eastmond and Hoyte should be sold. We need a better caliber of experience players like UTD have with Scholes,Giggs etc this helps the younger players. We need to keep players like Gilberto when we have them and not hang onto crocks like Rosicky who have little prem experience and offer nothing else. I’d like to see a few older heads in some departments .
Buffon ( free) help shez become better. Dunne could be cheap if Villa go down prem experience and always rated him. And if Tevez is leaving City why not spend all that money we’ve been saving ! he’s a player that wins games and when he doesn’t he works his ass off ! But a striker that can lead the line others i’d go for : Ba from West ham or even try for Benzema. we just need someone whose an all rounder.
If you think about it he’s only 20 years old and is playing as a defensive midfielder… you know defending needs experience and if you think a little harder again you will relies there aren’t many good DM who is playing regularly in a top division. I hope he makes it and become a good box to box player when he turns 22 or something.