Academy players Ethan Nwaneri, Maldini Kacurri, Joel Ideho, Catalin Cirjan and Khayon Edwards trained with the first-team today ahead of tomorrow’s game against PSV.
16-year-old centre-back Kacurri has impressed for the U18s so far this season and featured as a late substitute for the U21s against Northampton Town last night.
Highly rated 15-year-old midfielder Nwaneri was also involved against Northampton along with Ideho.
Kacurri and Nwaneri aren’t yet eligible to play in the Europa League, so cannot be in the matchday squad against PSV.
However, talented striker Edwards is in contention to be included on the bench along with skilful midfielder Cirjan.
Winger Ideho is eligible to be added to the club’s Europa League squad.
Gabriel Martinelli and Oleksandr Zinchenko missed the session, while Mohamed Elneny and Emile Smith Rowe are still out.
Jeorge Bird's Arsenal Youth 
Please can we stop upping our academy boys so much? All it does is attract other clubs, to our great talent and tempt them away. Please lets keep our boys, we really need to keep our best talent.
Have to say Joe Willock! How bloody good?
Other clubs will be well aware of our players just as we are of theirs, we can’t stop players getting poached, the fact is we do well to keep our best ones as it is, but agents, advisors, family members will always have an influence. It’s what it is.
Still nothing from Arteta towards the academy. I swear the Nwaneri thing was a stunt and has ruined older players chances.
I have nothing against Arteta and him trying to deliver the success the fans desire.
However, he is simply using the academy boys to fill holes or create records. One will have to be an exceptional talent to break into his squad on a regular basis, until he starts lifting trophies.
I will bet with anyone that Smith Rowe, Tierney, Nketiah, Nelson, Sambi, Okonkwo, Hein and even Martinelli, could be loaned out or sold soon, they have monetary value
I fully agree on the Nwaneri publicity stunt.
And probably Arteta will not oppose to sell players, but I think Smith-Rowe, Tierney and Martinelli are not among those players. And the rest could leave for free (maybe Edu can sell or swap Lokonga for half-price), but Nelson, Okonkwo, Holding, Soares or Hein will leave for a free as the club is worse in selling players than ever.
Jeorge, has the fact that Nwaneri played in the first team mean that if another club tries to poach him that they’ll have to pay more compensation?
Allezkev, i can answer tgat and it is yes. The fa tribunal would look at all progress and development when considering compensation. Certainly it is something the club shpuld do more and its why i dont understand why we didnt give Smith some minutes before he turned 21.
Thanks for that, I kinda suspected that something like that was behind his senior debut, heaven knows the tapping up that goes on behind the scenes, it must be like the Wild West…