Exclusive: Arsenal's Akpom Set For Dutch Move

Akpom making his Arsenal U21 debut against Boreham Wood two years ago

Young Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom is set for a loan move to the Dutch Eredivisie, with FC Twente or Feyenoord his likely destination.

Akpom is highly regarded at Arsenal but has been given limited first team opportunities, with Olivier Giroud, Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell all ahead of him in the pecking order.

He had brief loan spells at League One outfits Brentford and Coventry City last season, where the standard of football was below what he was used to and heavily reliant, particularly at the latter, on physicality and long-ball football.

With the Dutch Eredivisie, which revolves less around the physical side of the game and more on technical and tactical aspect, the 18 year old has a great opportunity to prove himself and develop as a player.

Feyenoord have a world renowned youth set up, 'one of the best in Europe' according to Arsene Wenger, and 5 of their academy graduates were in Louis van Gaal's World Cup Holland side. Clearly, they know how to nurture talent, and it would seem to be a superb place for Akpom to hone his skills.

The fact both Feyenoord and Twente are competing in this season's Europa League should act as further incentive for Akpom to finalise his loan move, and will provide invaluable experience.

Arsenal's new academy chief, Andries Jonker, former manager of the Dutch U21 National side, is highly thought of in Holland and is likely to have played a significant role in setting up this move.

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Arsenal To Take Part In New Premier League U21 Cup

Details of a new U21 cup competition have been announced today, which Arsenal will participate in. Involving 51 academies, it will compliment the U21 Premier League, which proved a great success in its first season.

Arsenal will go straight in to the Round of 32, as will all 19 sides in category A. Qualifiers will take place for category C and B teams. The draw for the first round of these will take place on September 9 and the 13 sides that get through the qualifiers will join the 19 elite teams in the Round of 32.

All fixtures will be one-off, knock-out games, and up until the Round of 16, they will be organised by regions. The final of the competition will be a two-leg affair, with each leg being played at the main stadia of the participating teams. This will be a great opportunity for the fans to watch their youngsters in action, and it will also be a valuable experience for the players, with large crowds expected.

"The introduction of an under-21 cup competition is one way to create an opportunity for players up and down the country to play in a meaningful competition, to enhance the Barclays Under-21 Premier League," Ged Roddy, Premier League's Director of Youth (via www.premierleague.com)

The issues surrounding the lack of academy players making the step up to first-team football are at the heart of this new competition, with the Premier League hoping it will ensure a "smoother transition".

The competition will be especially beneficial to academies of smaller clubs, as they will get the opportunity to face the cream of the crop, so to speak. For example, Arsenal's U21 side could be drawn against AFC Wimbledon. The table below shows every side from each category in the Southern part of the competition. As aforementioned, fixtures are played on a regional basis up until the Round of 16, where the Northern clubs will enter the fray.

via www.premierleague.com

Match dates that concern Arsenal are as followed *Ties will be played within two weeks of proposed dates*:

Round of 32: Week beginning 18th November 2013 

Round of 16: Week beginning 16th December 2013

Quarter Finals: Week beginning 27th January 2014

Semi Finals: Week beginning 22nd February 2014

Final: Week beginning 17th March 2014

(via www.premierleague.com)

With the U21 Premier League, the U19 UEFA Champions League (which has effectively replaced the NextGen Series), the FA Youth Cup, and now this competition, our Young Guns certainly have a busy schedule ahead of them. 

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REPORT: Mixed performance as Arsenal XI draw 4-4 against Leyton Orient

In what was a thrilling encounter, an Arsenal XI side fought from behind to secure a draw in the last minute against League One outfit Leyton Orient.

There are both negatives and positives to be taken from this game. Let's start with the latter. Firstly, 16 year old right back Taf Moore had an excellent game. Playing against men twice his size, the athletic full back showed composure when in possession and proved hard to beat in defensive situations, using his pace and tenacity to great effect. In the first half particularly, Moore was very impressive and in my opinion the best player in red and white.

Moreover, Wellington Silva put in his best performance wearing an Arsenal shirt, scoring two goals and at times terrorising the Orient defence with his pace and trickery. What he lacked against Sutton United two weeks ago was an end product, so tonight's performance shows a significant improvement in that regard. Unfortunately the Brazilian is yet to receive a work permit and thus is confined to friendly matches only. Another loan move beckons.

This brings me to Chuks Aneke, whose return to Crewe on loan seems to be edging closer. Although often lethargic in possession, in a way reminiscent to Abou Diaby, he was at the heart of most attacking moves and demonstrated his skill and vision on a number of occasions. Having said that, as disappointing as it is to say, I think he may have found his level playing against League One sides.

Chuba Akpom continued the goalscoring form he showed with the first team in Asia with a well taken goal to grab Arsenal's third of the evening. A clever diagonal run in behind the Orient defence was found expertly by Aneke, whose through ball fell perfectly for Akpom to tuck away underneath the goalkeeper. The striker will be disappointed not to have scored earlier, however, failing to convert two or three excellent chances. He was replaced after 74 minutes by Lipman, after picking up a slight twist in his leg.

Finally, goalkeeper Dejan Iliev made several excellent stops and was responsible for preventing an embarrassing scoreline, with the defensive unit ahead of him failing to offer sufficient protection. He also showed a good reading of the game, acting as a 'sweeper keeper' on a number of times.

Now onto the negatives. While it must be noted Leyton Orient are a much stronger opponent than Sutton and Borehamwood, Arsenal's defence, with Leander Siemann at left back and a centre half pairing of Isaac Hayden and Daniel Boateng, was less than convincing. Orient's almost identical opening two goals both came from unmarked headers from a corner, while a plethora of unforced errors were made throughout the game. It does seem somewhat pointless playing the likes of Boateng, a player whose Arsenal career is clearly at an end, when youngsters such as Stefan O'Connor and Elliot Wright are chomping at the bit to experience some more game time at this level.

Nico Yennaris, Kris Olsson and Thomas Eisfeld were largely average in midfield, although the latter was involved in some good attacking moves and was unlucky to hit the post from a free kick in the second half. It was a shame Danny Crowley wasn't called upon from the bench, although he may well feature in the U18 friendly against Leicester tomorrow. Next up for Arsenal XI is Luton on Saturday, where Steve Gatting will be hoping for a more solid team performance.

Thanks for reading and follow me on twitter. UTA

Suarez, Wenger and principles

Arsenal's motto is Victoria Concordia Crescit, or Victory Through Harmony, a term enshrined within the club's heritage, the origins of which can be traced back to 1913.

Arsene Wenger has, by and large, abided by this throughout his seventeen-year tenure at Arsenal, ensuring those who represent the club - himself, staff, players etc - do so in a commendable, respectful manner. He is known to scrutinise the personality of a player before making a signing, analysing the effect they may have in the dressing room and judging if they are fit to represent the red and white of The Arsenal. It is clear we go about our business in a different way to those around us. Wenger's values have been fundamental to this. History. Class. Tradition. These are words associated with Arsenal Football Club. But what does the genuine interest in Luis Suarez tell us about Wenger's principles, or loss of?

Perhaps it is somewhat fitting that as Victoria Concordia Crescit has disappeared, being replaced by 'Forward' to mark the 125th anniversary of Arsenal's existence, so too has Wenger's principles. Perhaps, in order to go forward, as the new, shallow platitude on our crest suggests, we must abandon the values ingrained in the club's history that were built around our Latin motto. And what better way to do this than signing the serial cheat, racist and all-round detestable human being that is Luis Suarez?

There is, of course, no doubting his talent as a footballer; I'd be lying if I said one part of me would not love to see him play for Arsenal. Who knows, it may transpire that we sign him, he scores 25 goals this season, helps us win a trophy and stays free of controversy. This line of speculation is unlikely in more than one way, however!

There is an argument supporting his signature based around the fact we signed Robin van Persie as a volatile youngster with serious discipline problems, and transformed him into a top professional who managed to subdue his petulant tendencies. However there are several discrepancies with this comparison. Firstly, van Persie cost little over £2 million. There was little risk in financial terms if this investment backfired. Suarez, on the other hand, will cost closer to £50 million. The cost-risk ratio is thus much less appealing. In other words, a significant amount of money will be wasted if Suarez gets injured or fails to reverse his undesirable streak. Secondly, we signed van Persie as a 21 year old. At this age you are still developing as a person and a footballer. With time and effort, one's personality can be changed for the better. Suarez, however, is closer to 27. How much time in football terms has he got left to change? Is he arguably past the age where one's natural tendencies can be altered? This is all speculation. What I will say, however, is that I strongly believe Wenger will only sign Suarez if he genuinely thinks he can reform him.

Some may also say that every high calibre player has an edge; we've seen it with Dennis Bergkamp to highlight a notable example. But Suarez unfortunately carries a bit more than an edge; something more unsavoury, an inability to control himself in the heat of the moment. I won't bore you with a list of his misdoings - you've seen it all before.

But by at least attempting to sign Suarez are we, Arsenal Football Club, condoning racism, cheating and violence? These are questions that must be asked, no matter what your outlook is. Is it worth the hassle of another potential race-row, only this time with Suarez as an Arsenal player?

My worry is the divisions the signing of Suarez may create. Already, I know one black Arsenal fan who travels home and away to watch the team, who has vowed not to go again for as long as Suarez is an Arsenal player. A stance somewhat drastic in my view - but pertinent nonetheless. Of course, this is all hypothetical, as the player is yet to sign, but I do wonder what the effects would be in the stands as well as the dressing room if Suarez were to sign and controversy followed suit.

I have to say I am surprised by Wenger's interest in the Uruguayan, but a part of me is also excited. While on one hand it seems the boss is conceding to the pressure he is under and abandoning his principles, perhaps going for Suarez is just a necessary compromise at a challenging time in his managerial career. While it would go some way in fulfilling the club's new motto, one has to wonder if he is worth the money and the hassle, when there are high calibre strikers such as Higuain and Soldado seemingly available at the right price this summer.  I'll leave you with one image, and you can make your own minds up about Suarez and Arsenal.

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REPORT: Crowley steals the show as Arsenal XI defeat Sutton United 4-3; plus thoughts from captain Isaac Hayden

Dan Crowley runs at the Sutton defence

First of all, I'm back! Exams and other commitments forced me into a temporary blogging halt, but I can safely say that these are now over. Anyway, onto the game...

After around two months of no Arsenal, football junkies of the red and white variety were eagerly anticipating this fixture, desperate for our Arsenal fix.

The first of our pre-season campaign will be remembered for Daniel Crowley's debut performance at the club. The new acquisition from Aston Villa started the game in the number 10 role, operating behind industrious striker Austin Lipman.

Arsenal took the lead inside ten minutes, after a superb curling pass by skipper Isaac Hayden - unlucky not to be included in the first team's tour of Asia - found Lipman, who outpaced the Sutton defence before driving into the box and finding Anthony Jeffrey to tap in.

It was soon 2-0 after Crowley, having just nut-megged a Sutton player, was brought down. Jebb, who has a penchant for scoring spectacular free kicks, stepped up from 25 yards and nonchalantly curled the ball into the top corner. A superb goal by the young midfielder, who will hope to establish himself as a regular in the U21 set-up after being confined to U18 football last season.

Sutton almost scored when Arsenal centre back Tom Dallison, making his debut for the reserves, sliced a clearance onto his crossbar, before Dejan Iliev spread himself and blocked the rebound. A fine piece of goalkeeping.

It was 3-0 after 20 minutes when the impressive Hayden waltzed into the box, took his time and struck home with a left footed effort, after some abject defending.

Gooners behind the goal were singing, "we can't afford Asia, so we've come here instead!"

Despite being substituted at half time, along with 8 teammates, Crowley mesmerised the opposition with his close control and elusive dribbling skills. Within just 5 minutes, the diminutive midfielder wet the mouths of the onlooking Arsenal fans with a magnificent run, where he showed tight control inside the box, turned sharply (leaving the Sutton defender on his arse in the process), before dinking in an inviting cross. Certainly an impressive way for a 15 year old to introduce himself.

Although at times caught in possession, either by being brushed off the ball or by trying to be a little too intricate, Crowley was the star of the show. You can just tell, he has *it*; that something you can't describe, but know when you see.

His part in Jack Jebb's second goal of the game, to make it 4-1 before the break, was particularly impressive. In a seemingly tight area on the far right of midfield, Crowley and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the highly rated winger who featured in last season's commendable NextGen campaign, eluded the surrounding defenders with a passage of pass and move football that would have greatly pleased the onlooking coaches Terry Burton and Steve Gatting. After taking three defenders out of the game with his shrewd movement, Crowley ran towards the byline, showed his composure and cut it back to Jebb, who coolly slotted the ball away with a first time finish on his weaker foot. 4-1 to The Arsenal in what had been a really fluid attacking performance.

The second half was poor, with Hayden and left back Arinse Uade the only players not to be subbed at half time. This led to a very disjointed performance with no real moments of quality to note. Debutant and recent Swedish acquisition Jamal Raage looked lively on the right wing, and almost scored with a low, hard shot after cutting inside onto his powerful left foot. Wellington Silva was on the left wing and showed his quick feet but lacked an end product. All conceded goals came from crosses into unmarked players in the box. Same old Arsenal, I guess.

I asked Arsenal's U21 captain Isaac Hayden some questions after the game:

Thoughts on today? 

IH: It was a good performance in the first half. All the goals were of high quality. The second half was a little difficult because of the changes (9 substitutions), but a lot of the younger players today showed they can cope!

What are your first impressions of Danny Crowley? 

IH: One word: class.

Some praise from your captain after just 45 minutes game time - shows just how good he was and the impact he's had in training! 

What are your hopes for this season?

IH: Just work hard and perform to the best of my ability consistently and see where it gets me; that's all I can do!

Thanks for reading and follow me on twitter. UTA

Arsenal's left back dilemma: who should start against QPR?

In the absence of Kieran Gibbs at left back, there is room for debate as to who should be his replacement.

Andre Santos has had two consecutively poor performances, at fault for Grant Holt's goal for Norwich and Jan Huntelaar's for Schalke. Both were due to lapses in concentration and perhaps lack of natural defensive instinct, failing to step up with the rest of his defence and thus playing the strikers onside.

Now, does Arsene Wenger keep faith in Santos? He's been a liability recently but he is our sole specialist (heh) left back in Gibbs' absence - and one we paid over £7million for. 

One has to worry though that against the pace of QPR's wingers, the likes of Junior Hoillet and Shaun Wright-Phillips, married with the probable counter-attacking game the Hoops will play against us, Santos will struggle. 

He will leave space in behind due to his natural inclination to go forward and poor positional sense, and I just don't see him matching those attackers for speed. 

Alternatively, Ignasi Miquel could be deployed at left back. As I said yesterday, this is probably my preferred option. The Spaniard is a natural defender, tall, disciplined and relatively quick. He has impressed whenever called upon and would certainly add some solidity to our back four. 

There is also of course Thomas Vermaelen. To be honest the thought of him at centre half against Zamora - which wasn't pretty at times last year - is enough to persuade me that he should start at left back. Not many strikers bully Vermaelen, but Zamora did exactly that at Loftus Road last season. 

The skipper has said he does not like playing at full back, but he is adequate enough in this position to fill in during Gibbs' absence.

What this would also allow is a centre back pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker - arguably our strongest partnership. 

Anyway, regardless of who plays it is a very important game. Anything other than three points and I'd predict some fairly vociferous criticism from portions of the crowd towards the team and the boss.

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Up The Arsenal.

Arsenal 0-2 Schalke: post-match thoughts

It wasn't good last night but let's not get carried away. We lost to an extremely good side; they pressed us intensely throughout the match, and possess an attack which could hurt the best. Any team who defeats Borussia Dortmund on their own patch is, by implication, a top side, barring in mind Dortmund beat Real Madrid last night.

Having said that, there are several issues to highlight. Firstly, the decision to shove Podolski out wide. I understand this when we are playing away, as he adds protection down the left flank, but surely when we are at home we should be taking the game to the opposition?

Podolski's influence on the game is significantly reduced when he is shunted on the left. If the reason behind it is that Gervinho won't work as hard in comparison if he plays there, then that is a bit of a joke. Give him a kick up the arse and make him, because the team can't afford to sacrifice Podolski's natural finishing ability as a striker. 

The decision to play Gervinho rather than Giroud was a strange one. The bigman has started to show some form for club and country (forget about Norwich - everyone had a stinker) and would have at least added a focal point to our attack. With Gervinho there we just seem a bit lost a times - as does he.

There was no penetration, pace or cohesion in the final third, nor did we apply any sustained periods of pressure on goal - our sole shot on target was the penultimate kick of the game, by Serge Gnabry.

I joked before the match that I hoped I wouldn't be saying 'the only positive to take from the game was Gnabry', like we all did after Norwich. Unfortunately that was exactly what I said again.

The youngster did well, and mesmerised the crowd with a wonderful scoop turn with his first touch after coming on. He received a harsh lesson though when he gave the ball away in the middle of the park, which led to Schalke's second.

Furthermore, the reactiveness of the players and the coaching staff was quite exasperating. Andre Santos was targeted the whole game. It was abundantly clear he was being left too exposed, defending against Farfan and the constantly overlapping full back Uchida. He clearly needed help. 60,000 fans could see it, Bould must have seen it. But nothing was done.

It's down to the player to scream at his teammates to help him out, but Santos evidently failed to do so. Then it's down to the coaching staff. At half time surely Steve Bould addressed the situation, but it continued throughout. This, it must be said, is very disappointing. You want the team to be alert and proactive, instead they were mute and reactive. Nothing was done. And we faced the consequences.

I don't want to be overly critical but Santos is not a defender. As well as playing Huntelaar onside for their opening goal, he also played Holt onside against Norwich. In Gibbs' absence, I would be inclined to choose Miquel at left back. A natural defender, tall, disciplined and by no means a slouch.

The past days have really highlighted the unpredictability of the Champions League. I think to remain objective about the Schalke game you must notice how the gap in quality between teams has drastically reduced; United scrape past an average Braga side, Chelsea deservedly beaten by Shaktar, Juve scraping a draw against Danish part-timers, Malaga beating Milan, Barca needing a scruffy last gasp winner against Celtic, Madrid losing to a Dortmund side that lost to Schalke, and so on.

Just a few weeks ago we were praising the apparent strength in depth of our squad. However last night Giroud was our only first team player on the bench, and we face the familiar scenario of a squad depleted through injury.

We are second in our group and finishing top is still achievable, so it's not quite time to get your bin bags out. With the likes of Walcott, Chamberlain and Wilshere to return, plus our first choice left back, right back....and keeper(s)...and Diaby...and Rosicky....and Frimpong...ah fuck it, somebody go give Colin Lewin a hand.

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