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.

Leave your opinions in the comment section below and don't forget to follow me on Twitter

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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U21 report + highlights, Everton 1-2 Arsenal: Wilshere completes another 90 minutes

Terry Burton's U21 side managed to build on their 2-0 home win over Reading a fortnight ago by beating Everton at their Finch Farm Training Complex on Monday afternoon.

There are several positives to be taken from the match, most notably Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna and Emmanuel Frimpong completing another 90 minutes in their road to fitness.

After a lapse of concentration by Ignasi Miquel, which Apostolos Vellios promptly capitalised on, Thomas Eisfeld scored an excellent brace to secure the 2-1 victory for the Gunners.

The young German was inches away from a hatrick when he unleashed a powerful effort on goal from distance, only for it to cannon off the woodwork.

Eisfeld, who contributed with six goals and six assists in 12 games last year for Borussia Dortmund U19s, clearly has a natural ability to create and score goals. He has shown this on a number of occasions already since joining Arsenal, netting twice in the pre-season tour of Asia and grabbing four goals in eight games in the U21 league.

Goalscoring midfielders at Arsenal have been a rarity since the days of Bobby Pires and Freddie Ljungberg, so Eisfeld could prove to be an invaluable asset in the coming years.

Wilshere showed his quality throughout, with some sweeping passes and a clever assist for Eisfeld's second, cutting in from the right and playing in his teammate whose finish was clinical.

Burton will be pleased with the way his side recovered after going a goal down early on, in a match which proved much tougher than the comfortable 3-0 home win in the corresponding fixture earlier this season.

A trip to France now beckons for Arsenal's young guns, where they face Marseille in the Next Gen Series on Thursday - a game they cannot afford to lose. 

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Wilshere's recovery continues with behind-closed-doors friendly against Chelsea

Tomorrow, an Arsenal side comprising of a mixture of U21 and first team players will take on Chelsea at London Colney. The friendly has been arranged to continue the recuperation of Jack Wilshere after a 14 month injury lay-off, as well as Emmanuel Frimpong and Bacary Sagna.

All three featured in the reserves' match against Reading last week, with Wilshere receiving over 70 minutes, Sagna an hour, and Frimpong the whole game. However they were unable to immediately build on this due to the absence of a fixture the following week. Thus, the club have arranged the private friendly against Chelsea.

There will be no regulations with regards to age tomorrow, so expect further players on the fringes of first team football to feature, such as Andre Santos, Francis Coquelin and Sebastian Squillaci. It will be a beneficial and perhaps necessary exercise in maintaining their fitness levels.

With Kieran Gibbs hobbling off in the game against West Ham almost a fortnight ago, meaning he is now "very doubtful" for Norwich on Saturday, it is vital for Santos to be in prime condition in the readiness of a return to the starting line-up.

Marouane Chamakh may well begin up front, and Andrey Arshavin, who has received scarce first-team football this season, is also likely to feature.

Martin Angha will be one of the several U21 players unavailable due to international commitments, however Kris Olsson is available and striker Chuba Akpom, who only just turned 17, earning his first professional contract in the process, takes a place on the bench.

With the friendly against Chelsea and another U21 game against Everton next Monday, there is plenty of game time for Jack Wilshere in his pursuit of fitness, and Arsenal fans can certainly be hopeful of a return in time for Reading away in the League Cup at the end of October. Fingers crossed. 

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Pat Holland departs from his role as Arsenal U18 manager

Just seven games into his tenure as manager of Arsenal U18s, Pat Holland has left his role at the club due to "personal reasons", according to the official website.

However one must presume the management of the academy were not satisfied with the way the season was progressing for Holland's side, and thought the players were not fulfilling their potential.

At U18 level the results are not the be all and end all - it is more about developing the youngsters by providing them with experience and quality training. Liam Brady, the director of Arsenal's academy, may have been unconvinced by Holland's methods at London Colney, or thought his management skills were outdated.

Holland's style on the touchline was criticised for being unconstructive, shouting traditional cliches like 'cross it in' and 'get tight' (via @deanafc1989). Some of the players at Arsenal's disposal may not respond to such instructions and this could perhaps be seen in the side's poor form and failure to improve it with any consistency.

Holland began his season with the U18s with a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Bolton, and ended it with a 3-0 home defeat to Reading. The results in between were more encouraging, however, with two convincing 3-0 wins over Norwich and West Ham, and also a 2-1 dispatch of Everton. These wins were sandwiched by draws to Blackburn and West Brom, so it was certainly a mixed bag for Holland.

In truth one would only be speculating to explain his departure at this moment in time. One thing is for certain though: his replacement will be former U16 manager Steve Gatting, who has been working as the U18 assistant manager this year. He has coached at Arsenal for five years and played for the Gunners 76 times in the late 1970s, so has a wealth of experience with the club.

In other news, Sanchez Watt scored the winner last weekend for Colchester with a well taken strike, while Chuks Aneke played the full 90 minutes for Crewe and by all accounts was one of their most influential players, despite losing.

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Chuba Akpom signs professional terms at Arsenal

Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom has had a lot to celebrate recently in what has been a whirlwind couple months for the youngster, cemented by today's news that he has signed his first professional contract upon turning 17.

Akpom follows Jack Jebb and Austin Lipman in signing professionally with the club, in what has been a busy month of youth football at The Arsenal.

Akpom, who made his debut for the U18s just two years ago in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, incidentally alongside midfielder Jebb, has progressed from one level to the next this year.

He made his debut for Terry Burton's reserve side in the pre-season game at Borehamwood, where he scored a penalty and impressed generally, and since then, has established himself as a fixture in the team, keeping out the considerably more experienced Sanchez Watt.

As I said in a previous article, Akpom's strengths are varied. At 6ft2, he has the physical attributes - especially when married with his excellent hold up play and awareness - to make an effective target man. He also has the vision and skill to excel on the left wing or indeed in the no.10 position, just behind the main striker.

Such a multi-faceted skillset is rare to find in a man so young, not to mention his tremendous work rate and down-to-earth attitude.

Akpom has also shone on the international stage. He was called up to Noel Blake's England U19 side in September, at the age of 16, alongside stars such as Liverpool's Raheem Sterling and Southampton's James Ward-Prowse. He scored three goals in two games for Blake's side, as well as grabbing an assist. Quite a return.

After scoring his last goal as a sixteen year old last night in the 2-0 defeat of Reading U21s - his first goal at reserve level - the young striker can dream of a trip to the Madjeski Stadium with Arsene Wenger's side, where they face eachother in the League Cup later this month.

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I interviewed the man himself not too long ago, which you can check out here.

You can send your congratulations in to Chuba, too. 

Wilshere and Sagna make comebacks as Arsenal U21s ease past Reading

Arsenal's second string are back to winning ways after dispatching their Reading counterparts 2-0 at Underhill on Monday evening.

Despite an array of first team players in the starting line up, it was Serge Gnabry and Chuba Akpom who sealed the points for the Gunners.

Terry Burton's midfield comprised of first team stars such as Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin in what was a very strong side.

Hugely encouraging news for Gooners is that Bacary Sagna made his return to action, receiving an hour at right back as scheduled and leaving the pitch unscathed. It was the first step in what will be a gradual process towards match fitness.

His absence from the first team this season has been somewhat compensated for by the form of Carl Jenkinson, however the Frenchman's eventual return to first team football (fingers crossed) will provide a massive boost to the side.

Burton also had F1 racer turned football superstar Andre Santos at his disposal, deploying the Brazilian at left back. Despite featuring in the 3-1 defeat of West Ham on Saturday, replacing the injured Kieran Gibbs, Santos played the full 90 minutes tonight. Wenger obviously sees the need to maintain the 29 year old's fitness levels, and reserve team football is extremely beneficial in this respect.

Keown Junior...I wouldn't miss a penalty around him

Despite imposing centre half Niall Keown in the Reading side, son of Arsenal legend Martin, Arsenal took the lead three minutes before half time after some excellent link up play between Frimpong, Wilshere and Eisfeld. It was the latter who then slid the ball into Gnabry, who confidently chopped the ball inside and curled it home with his weaker left foot.

Gnabry, tipped as a "star of the future" by Wenger, impressed yet again, and could certainly be fast- tracked into first team football this year following his appearance in the League Cup against Coventry.

Arsenal centre back Sead Hajrovic almost gifted the visitors an equaliser just minutes into the second half, but Adam Le Fondre failed to capitalise on the Swiss's poor back pass. Hajrovic, hitherto criticised for a lack of concentration, will not have helped his cause with that.

Frimpong then should have scored after being put through by Coquelin, but he showed a real lack of composure and scuffed it wide.

Thankfully the points were sealed when Chuba Akpom nodded home from close range, anticipating Ignasi Miquel's flick on following a Wilshere corner. It was Akpom's last goal as a 16 year old, and the forward can expect a professional contract upon turn seventeen this week.

All in all a highly satisfactory evening for Arsenal in front of an onlooking Arsene Wenger, who will be hopeful of including Wilshere and Sagna in his plans for the coming months.

Click here to follow me on Twitter for more on Arsenal and youth football, or if you just want some TLC during the international break.

And click here for highlights of the Reading game.

Arsenal loan watch - Denilson and Aneke score wonder goals

Hello Gooners,

Been a bit quiet on here lately as I've been spending most of my spare time doing stuff for The Sport Review and Gingers4Limpar, which you can check out here and here.

Chuks Aneke scored a beautiful equaliser for Crewe Alexandra in their 2-1 defeat of Hartlepool last weekend, sweeping the ball first time over the 'keeper from outside the box. The nineteen year old's loan spell at Crewe has been extended, and Arsenal obviously regard it as a place where he can develop. Barring in mind the Cheshire club brought through Nick Powell, who is now at Manchester United, one can understand this decision.

Check out Chuks' screamer by clicking here.

Denilson scored his first for Sao Paulo in their game versus Palmeiras, with a magnificent effort. Following a corner, the ball fell to him around 40 yards out, he took a touch unopposed, and just whacked it into the top corner. Watch it here.

I saw young forward Phillip Roberts in action for Inverness, where Arsenal have agreed a deal to send youth players to develop. He impressed me, working hard, looking lively and pulling off a magnificent defence splitting pass, only for his teammate to squander a one-on-one.

On a serious note, Benik Afobe, on loan at Bolton, was a victim of racist abuse from Millwall fans last weekend, along with teammate Marvin Sordell. Hopefully the FA will dish out the appropriate punishment to the offending fans, although knowing their incompetence this is unlikely.

Anyway, sorry to leave you on such a distasteful note, and expect to see a bit more action from me on here in the coming days.

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Arsenal have the foundations of a title winning side

It is a telling indication of how far this team has progressed when the general consensus from our fans was one of disappointment after coming home from Manchester with just a point from the league champions.

There are numerous positives to be taken, particularly regarding individual performances. Per Mertesacker was supreme in defence, intercepting almost everything that came his way. He really has stamped his authority in the team this season, and the fact he has forced Wenger to keep Koscielny on the bench tells a story on its own. 

In terms of the defence overall, I think a bit of objectiveness is needed to really appreciate their achievements this season. 

So, we were essentially without the three most important members of our back five yesterday; no Szczesny, no Sagna and no Vermaelen, who was ruled out on the day of the match with a bout of flu. In previous years, we would most probably have been doomed. But such is our strength in depth that we kept the £120 million Manchester City strike force at bay for most of the game. Who would have thought that? 

Let's look back at the 0-0 draw at Stoke earlier this season too. We kept a clean sheet against a side even the strongest of defences struggle to keep out, without our first choice 'keeper or our right back! 

Credit must be given to Steve Bould, but at the end of the day it is the players who perform on the pitch, and it is they who deserve the lion share of the plaudits. 

Carl Jenkinson - while still naturally showing signs of inexperience, particularly in his sometimes sloppy passing - has excelled at right back, producing displays that Bacary Sagna would struggle to outdo. 

The Frenchman should not take his return to the first team for granted - the way Jenkinson is going he'll have to earn his place in the starting line up! What most fans love about Jenko is that he really is a Gooner. The fact we sing 'Carl Jenkinson, he's got Arsenal PJs!' shows how much the fans appreciate his commitment and desire. I loved Gary Neville's comment after the City game too:

"I don't know him, but the kid looks like he would run through a brick wall for you."  

His galloping run in the first half, where he seemed destined to lose out to Joleon Lescott, certainly supports this statement. He ran almost the length of the pitch and tenaciously bundled his way past the defender, then intelligently cut the ball back for Lukas Podolski who fired his shot wildly over the bar. 

When Gary Neville compliments you, especially a right back, you know you've done well.

Another positive in terms of our defensive strength this season is Kieran Gibbs. Once tipped as Arsenal's natural replacement for A$hley Cole, the left back has been blighted by injury and has struggled to sustain any concerted period of form. However, this season Gibbs seems to have burgeoned into a proper full back; defensively astute, showing new signs of maturity, and offensively dangerous, acting as an auxiliary attacker to great effect. 

This offers a new dimension tactically to our left hand side. With Podolski/Cazorla deployed here, they will naturally drift inward creating space out wide - which is where Gibbs comes in. We saw glimpses of this against Liverpool - if I remember correctly it was a Cazorla pass which set up the onrushing Gibbs in the box, only to have his shot saved by Pepe Reina. This could be a significant attacking outlet for Arsenal this season, especially with Olivier Giroud’s aerial threat in the box.

Moreover, Podolski’s commendable work rate down the left flank is very important to the side, and something certainly instilled by Steve Bould. His defensive work in the 2-0 win at Anfield was vital, ensuring Gibbs was never left exposed. While his performance against Manchester City was hardly exhilarating, he continued to work hard, protecting his full back.

The foundation of every winning side is a solid defence, and this season Arsenal seem to have exactly that. 

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UTA

Arsenal U21s fail to impress ahead of Capital One Cup tie

Terry Burton's reserves side faced West Ham United at their East London Old Ford Sports Ground on Friday, hoping to ensure their preceding result - the 1-1 draw at home to Norwich City - was just a minor blemish in an otherwise 100% start to the season.

However, this was not to be, as West Ham dispatched their Arsenal counterparts 4-1 in what was a disappointing display from the Gunners.

Despite taking the lead after just five minutes through centre back Elton Monteiro's bullet header, Arsenal failed to cope with the relentless pressure from the Hammers and conceded two goals in each half.

Sticking to his promise after the Norwich game, Burton gave starts to those he rested, making eight changes in total. Samir Bihmoutine was handed his first appearance of the season at left back, while Serge Gnabry returned after the knock he received against Olympiakos in the Next Gen Series last week.

Sanchez Watt retained his place upfront, perhaps due to the absence of Chuba Akpom who is in Estonia with England U19s, while Nico Yennaris returned to his berth in defensive midfield. He was partnered by versatile Dutchman Kyle Ebecilio, who has impressed intermittently this season.

Few players shone; there were glimpses of magic from Gnabry, and Hector Bellerin was by all accounts a dangerous attacking threat when he came on after the hour mark.

However, Burton's decision to make such a large reshuffle to the team certainly backfired. The defence lacked organisation and experience while the forward players showed little end product.

The torrential rain may have played a part in what was a disjointed and generally lacklustre performance from Burton's men, however it was the same for both sides.

This was the final window of opportunity for some of these youngsters to impress before the League Cup tie against Coventry this Wednesday, but it did not go the way they would have planned.

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Arsenal looking to the future as Jebb and Lipman sign professional contracts

Last week Arsenal fans were greeted by the news that midfielder Jack Jebb had signed professional terms with the club, upon turning seventeen. Just a week later, it was the same outcome for industrious forward Austin Lipman, who will look to continue impressing in Pat Holland's U18 side.

For both, this is just a stepping stone in their embryonic careers. However, after Arsene Wenger's recent comments, there is reason to take considerable encouragement.

After being asked if he thought clubs would continue spending big rather than focusing on promoting youngsters from within, Wenger had this to say about our academy:

"When you look at the quality of the players born in 1995/96/97, the number of good players coming out is absolutely massive" (via @ZPAFC)

This is clearly said with Jebb and Lipman in mind, who are both born in '95. Gedion Zelalem is another outstanding prospect. The athletic midfielder was described as the most talented player in the academy by Swedish star Kris Olsson, despite being born in 1997. Alex Iwobi, nephew of Jay Jay Okocha, has also impressed, as has sixteen year old prolific striker Jordan Brown.

Jebb is considered by many to be one of the most promising players coming through the Arsenal system. Despite some underwhelming performances this season, the midfielder is a superb passer of the ball and possesses tremendous technical ability. He made his debut for Arsenal's U18 side two years ago in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, alongside 16 year old forward Chuba Akpom who has, it must be said, left Jebb behind in terms of progress, having distinguished himself as a fixture in Burton's reserve side.

Jebb, on the other hand, is yet to make an appearance in the second string, which will now be his primary target. He imposed himself in the U18 side last year, performing seven times under Steve Bould's tutelage, scoring a well taken free kick against Leicester City in the process.

Lipman has impressed for both club and country and has showed some real signs of progress, scoring an excellent goal last week for Arsenal's U18s against Norwich. His aim for this season will be to establish himself as a fixture in Pat Holland's side, and then possibly think of featuring in the reserves.

The future looks bright.

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Arsenal's 2012/13 Champions League Squad | youth round-up

Good afternoon Gooners, sorry for the lack of action over the past week or so. 

Today, Arsenal released their squad for this season's Champions League. The most notable addition is seventeen year old German winger Serge Gnabry, perhaps vindicating rumours he will be fast-tracked into the first team this year. 

Below is the preliminary squad. Please note the so called 'B list' has yet to be confirmed, but will most likely contain the likes of Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin, so refrain from freaking out when you don't see those names below!

Goalkeepers: 

1. Wojciech Szczesny, 

21. Lukas Fabianski, 

24. Vito Mannone

Defenders: 

3. Bacary Sagna, 

4. Per Mertesacker, 

5. Thomas Vermaelen, 

6. Laurent Koscielny, 

11. Andre Santos, 

18. Seb Squillaci, 

20. Johan Djourou, 

25. Carl Jenkinson, 

28. Kieran Gibbs

Midfielders: 

2. Abou Diaby, 

7. Tomas Rosicky, 

8. Mikel Arteta, 

15. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 

16. Aaron Ramsey, 

19. Santi Cazorla, 

23. Andrey Arshavin, 

27. Gervinho, 

47, Serge Gnabry

Forwards: 

9. Lukas Podolski, 

12. Olivier Giroud, 

14. Theo Walcott, 

29. Marouane Chamakh

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Youth round-up

Over the last week or so there has been lots of snippets of news concerning Arsenal youngsters.

Firstly, sixteen year old striker Chuba Akpom has flown to Germany with Noel Blake's England U19 squad, for a friendly against their national side. He has done well in training, alongside the likes of Raheem Sterling (who played against Arsenal's first team for Liverpool last weekend) and James Ward-Prowse of Southampton, and will be looking to continue his remarkable progress in this fixture.

On Monday night Arsenal's U21 side defeated their Everton counterparts 3-0 at Underhill, with goals from Sanchez Watt (two penalties) and Dutchman Kyle Ebecilio, continuing their 100% start to the season. 

Pat Holland's U18 side beat the same opponent 2-1 at London Colney, coming from behind to deservedly take all three points. Captain Isaac Hayden scored a well taken goal, while winger Tarum Dawkins scored a curling effort after an excellent Arsenal move. 

Moreover, Arsenal have announced a partnership with Inverness, in an attempt to offer our youngsters more first team experience by sending them on loan. Striker Phillip Roberts was first to make the move to Scotland.  

Macedonian U17 'keeper Dejan Iliev was brought in, adding further competition to this position in Pat Holland's U18 side. 

Arsenal's U19 side cruised past Marseille in their first Next Gen match of the campaign, beating the French team 3-0. Goals from Nico Yennaris and Chuba Akpom (x2) cemented an exhilarating performance from Terry Burton's youngsters, who face Olympiacos in Greece next in the competition.

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Arsenal U21s continue 100% start to the season with 3-0 win over Blackburn

Terry Burton's side made it two wins from two for the Gunners in the reformatted U21 league. With the first Next Gen match of the year on Wednesday in mind, he made several changes from the team that beat Bolton the previous week, and this time decided to take advantage of the three over-age players rule, with Craig Eastmond and Sanchez Watt starting. Martin Angha came in at right back, and had a very good game, while Daniel Boateng partnered Ignasi Miquel at centre back. Chuba Akpom retained his place up front, but Kris Olsson was dropped to the bench and Serge Gnabry was not involved at all.

In truth, Blackburn offered very little in this game, and James Shea in the Arsenal goal barely had a save to make. Arsenal took the lead inside fifteen minutes through Sanchez Watt's clinical finish, after being played in by a defence splitting reverse ball by 19 year old Chuks Aneke.

The hosts were playing some good football, and were clearly far superior to their Blackburn counterparts. The Gunners' lead was almost doubled five minutes from half time, when Eastmond capitalised on an awful pass by the opposition defender and played in Watt. The forward unleashed a rasping effort which the goalkeeper did well to palm away, only for the ball to fall at the feet of Aneke who, with the goal at his mercy, had his shot miraculously cleared off the line by Blackburn's Raheem Henley.

On the brink of half time, however, Arsenal did double their advantage. Conor Henderson played a lovely ball inside the opposition full back to the onrushing Angha, whose cross was dummied by Akpom and fell to Thomas Eisfeld, who dispatched confidently. The German clearly has a natural instinct of being in the right place at the right time, and continues his fine goalscoring form.

The torrential weather conditions certainly contributed to the lacklustre second half, and there was little to get excited about. The atmosphere became subdued as news of Robin van P€r$i€'s goal for Manchester United filtered through, but the 5,600 fans had something to cheer about after 70 minutes, when Henderson's long range shot deflected past Urwin in the Blackburn goal.

The fact that sixteen year old Chuba Akpom retained his position up front, forcing Sanchez Watt out wide, is a clear indication of how highly Burton rates him. The forward did well today, playing to his strengths. He held it up, brought others into the game and worked tirelessly, while also threatening with a couple shots. It's only a matter of time before he scores his first competitive reserve goal.

Thomas Eisfeld did well too, again deployed on the right side of midfield. In addition to his goal, the German contributed to most dangerous Arsenal moves, and was at times very difficult to defend against, with his clever bursts of movement. Goalscoring midfielders are revered at The Arsenal, and just as Freddie Ljungberg bows out of the game, we can have another one to look forward to.

Martin Angha was impressive at right back, despite having little to defend against. He acted as an auxiliary attacker to great effect, with several overlapping runs and crosses, including one that led to Arsenal's second.

There's not much else to report really. Henderson did well, and Ebecilio impressed again after coming on as a substitute. Arsenal's U18 side drew 2-2 away to Blackburn, with Jon Toral scoring again, while the U16s drew 1-1.

Next up for Burton's men teenagers is Marseille on Wednesday, in the first game of the new Next Gen series - a match these youngsters will relish.

'Till next time.

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