Patrick Akin
Arsenal have a long and rich history of bringing through young players. The latest in a long line is Alex Iwobi. Last season he has kicked on and become a firm fixture in the first-team squad, clocking up over 38 appearances over the campaign. He burst onto the scene around two years ago with a memorable performance against Barcelona in the Champions League. He then backed that up with a series of exciting outings in the Premier League. He was seen as Arsenal’s next big hope and surely in for a bright future. The problem is that since that initial excitement, he hasn't really reached the heights that a lot of us were hoping for.
In fact, he’s turned into somewhat of a divisive figure, Some fans love him, some not so much. His end-product and decision making in particular come under a lot of scrutiny. He does have good dribbling ability and strength on the ball. He is good at carrying the ball up the pitch. For every frustrating moment, there is one of real quality. One of the main reasons that many people think he has struggled, is that he doesn't really know his best position. Due to his natural strength and speed, most people assumed he would be most effective as a winger, and that's where most of his appearances came last season. Some fans are now of the belief that this might not be correct, and that a central attacking role might be more effective. As it stands Iwobi is the main backup for Ozil and Mkhitaryan.
There are a number of options for his immediate future.
A potential loan move
One option which might be beneficial is a loan move. Many have pointed to the fact that the player’s confidence looked low last season, so it might be a good thing for him to go and play for a team where he has more freedom to express himself and to gain his confidence back.
Another Premier League team would be ideal, but the question still stands - if he’s putting in 5/10 performances for Arsenal in the Premier League, which club will be willing to have that in their team? Even ‘mid-table’ Premier League teams have the pressures of potentially being pulled into a relegation battle, so it might be ambitious to think that another team would play him more unless they can see he would improve.
Iwobi has been at Arsenal for many years, since he was in Primary School, so he clearly has a connection to North London. Would he be willing to leave that and go somewhere else? The jury is still out.
Other young talents
It’s not all doom and gloom, there are youngsters that showed plenty of promise last season. Here’s a quick breakdown of how the younger players in the first team squad performed.
Hector Bellerin – Right Back, 23-y-o. 2017-18: 45 appearances, 3 goals, 5 assists
Bellerin is easily the most established young player in the team. He's already had over 100 starts and despite some dips in form recently, is still considered to be our number one choice at right back.
Callum Chambers - CB, 23. 2017-18: 25 appearances
Chambers has made starts at both centre back and right back this season. Most fans agree that CB is his best position, but haveing that adaptability and versatility is a very important skills for a young defender.
Rob Holding - CB, 22. 2017-18: 23 appearances, 1 goal
Another young English centre back. Holding has looked uncertain at times this year and his performances haven't always been that good. He has made numerous mistakes, and was overtaken by Chambers in the pecking order earlier in the season. He's still a good, physical defender with pace and sound technical skills, but he looks a bit short on confidence at the moment.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - Utility, 20. 2017-18: 26 appearances
Maitland-Niles first appeared for Arsenal as a 17 year old winger. He then moved into the midfield, then back out wide but then back as a right wing back. He even played as a CB in pre-season. He has also had a number of starts as a LWB or LB, which is impressive given he is right footed. A very talented player that surely has a bright future. Most Arsenal fans would agree that his performances this year have been a rare high point.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - CB, 20. 2017-18: 2 appearances
Mavropanos impressed for Arsenal's U23 squad and eventually earned himself a starting spot towards the end of the season. He looked great against Man Utd in his first start, then again played well against Burnley. He has become a bit fo a fan favourite due to his rugged style and lack of fear.
Reiss Nelson - AM/Winger, 18. 2017-18: 15 appearances
After showing in pre-season that he had bags of ability, Nelson made his breakthrough into the Arsenal first team the Europa League and League Cup. One of the brightest stars Arsenal have and definitely one to keep an eye on in future. He is primarily a number 10 or wide midfielder with good pace and skill.
Despite Iwobi being older and having more experience than many of the players mentioned above, there are times this season where he has arguably not played as well.
Next Season
What happens to Iwobi next season will largely depend on what the new manager wants. He is an exciting player on his day but few would be surprised if he featured less next season or went out on loan.
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