With the start of the Premier League season just under two weeks away, Arsenal have been busy preparing for the upcoming campaign, participating in the Barclays Asia Trophy tournament in Singapore, followed by the annual Emirates Cup competition, held last weekend.
The Gunners were victorious in both, playing some fluid, eye catching football in the process, as boss Arsene Wenger tinkered with experimental lineups, combining regular first team players with young hopefuls from the academy, looking to impress in their first taste at senior level.
It was two fledgling teenagers that have left their mark over the past two weeks, with Alex Iwobi and Jeff Reine-Adelaide announcing themselves to the Gunners faithful, producing performances full of quality and youthful exuberance, with Iwobi netting against Olympique Lyonnais, while Reine-Adelaide assisting Theo Walcott in scoring the decisive goal against VFL Wolfsburg.
Being the nephew of former Nigerian star Jay Jay Okocha, the footballing pedigree that runs through Iwobi’s family is evident. The 19-year-old has been progressing through the various youth levels with Arsenal since he was eight. An impressive 2013-14 season that saw the playmaker score eight goals in 35 appearances lead to him signing his first professional contract with Arsenal in May 2014.
Beginning as a winger, Iwobi has been shifted into a more central role where he can utilise his intricate passing ability to greater effect, but is equally adapt in both positions. His also spent time playing upfront with some immediate success, scoring twice in a friendly against Brentford in April under the watchful eye of Wenger in the stands.
Iwobi also found the net in the under-21’s against Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, playing in his favoured right-wing position, but undoubtedly, his finest performance in an Arsenal shirt came against Stoke City, where he fired home a hat-trick in a 4-1 win last season.
The closest Iwobi has come to making his senior debut was when he was selected on the bench against West Bromwich Albion in the Carling Cup in 2013, and in a Champions League encounter against Galatasaray last term. After his promising outings this preseason, a full first team debut, most likely in the Carling Cup, looks a realistic possibility for the Nigerian born attacker.
Iwobi showed glimpses of his potential against the Singapore XI before his breakout performance against the French outfit, where he put in a energetic shift on the left. His day was capped-off when he rounded out a thrilling counter-attacking move by side-footing empathetically past a hapless Anthony Lopez.
But with competition for places so fierce in Wenger’s squad at the moment, Iwobi will have to make every post a winner if he is to make the grade in North London. Season 2015-16 could prove to be an important one in the development of Iwobi, as he continues to make significant strides in his quest to forge a career at the Emirates.
Another to endear himself to Arsenal fans was starlet Reine-Adelaide, who dazzled in Sunday’s match against Wolfsburg, showcasing superb ball control and dribbling skills, along with his outstanding two footed ability which means he can be deployed on either flank, making him tactically flexible across the midfield.
The Frenchman played on the right during his brief cameo against Lyon, and then featured on the left against the Germans, also bobbing up in central areas where he was able to play Walcott through with a perfectly weighted pass. An audacious piece of skill that left Wolfsburg star Kevin De Bruyne bamboozled wooed the 59,815 strong crowd, as a future star was announced.
The 17 -year-old, along with 16 -year-old Yassin Fortune, were signed from French club Lens in a package deal worth an estimated €4 million (₤2.8m). The young duo add their names to an already impressive list of graduates from the Len’s La Gaillette academy, along side French internationals Raphael Varance, Geoffrey Kondogbia and PSG fullback Serge Aurier.
Tall, pacey and powerful, Reine-Adelaide looked right at home both from a physical and technical perspective, as he glided across the pitch, brushing opponents off in effortless fashion. He was just about the tallest outfield player on the pitch for the Gunners as he looked mature beyond his tender years.
Reine-Adelaide was part of the France’s under-17 squad that won the European Championship in May, by handing Germany a 4-1 thumping in the final, and has been herald as one of the brightest young talents in the 1998 born generation. In all, his won 11 caps for Les Bleus at youth level.
Following his successful debut bow, Wenger was full of praise for the prodigious teen, hailing his fellow countryman as a special talent following his appearance against Lyon.
“Reine-Adelaide is something special, you know,” Wenger told Arsenal Player.
“He is a great talent and when he came on you could see that… I don’t remember how I played at 17 but I didn’t play like that!”
One now gets the sense as to why Wenger was willing to pay the money to lure the Frenchman to the English capital. The 65-year-old has indicated Reine-Adelaide will remain at Arsenal and continue to work with with the first team, with a possible debut this season not out of the question.
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Many Arsenal youngsters who were thought to be inline for long futures at the club have come and gone, proving how difficult it is to successfully make the transition from football at youth level to the Gunners first team, so it is wiser to remain on the side of caution. For every Cesc Fabregas there is a Craig Eastmond.
However, the Emirates Cup has again proved to be a fantastic environment for Wenger to unearth these gems into the public eye. It has been a preseason without blemish for Arsenal so far, and the emergence of these two youngsters only adds to the excitement among fans, as the feel good factor continues in the lead up to what is a crunch campaign for the club.
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