He was sold for £1m by Unai Emery, but now former Arsenal star can ruin Mikel Arteta’s Premier League title hopes

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Arsenal have produced several Hale End Academy graduates in recent years, many of whom are currently thriving in the Premier League.

Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson are excelling at Fulham, albeit the latter has suffered from injury issues this campaign.

Meanwhile, Alex Iwobi accompanies the duo at Craven Cottage, Eddie Nketiah is still battling for a place at Crystal Palace, and Joe Willock is a useful squad player for Newcastle.

The likes of Omari Hutchinson and Donyell Malen have also forged successful top flight careers.

The Gunners will face one of their own when they travel to the East Midlands on Saturday afternoon.

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Stephy Mavididi will play against Arsenal for Leicester City

Joining Arsenal at 13, Stephy Mavididi developed through the ranks at Hale End, and spent time training with the first team under Arsene Wenger between 2016 and 2018.

The Englishman endured a series of unsuccessful loan spells, before departing N5 in the summer of 2018 after Unai Emery took over at the Emirates.

The Gunners sold the winger to Juventus for a reported £1.25 million, but he’d go on to make just one senior appearance for the Old Lady.

Signed by Leicester City back in 2023, Mavididi will be looking to haunt his former club when the Foxes host Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s team are in desperate need of three points, as they look to hunt down Liverpool, who are seven points above the North Londoners.

In a team that offers little threat, Mavididi could be Leicester’s greatest danger to Arsenal, with his silky movement and accurate deliveries from wide areas potentially harming the Gunners’ back line.

The Arsenal Academy graduate has scored five goals across all competitions this season, and netted 13 last campaign in Enzo Maresca’s side’s promotion campaign.

Arsenal should have far too much for Leicester City

Arsenal are in the midst of an injury crisis, with Kai Havertz ruled out for the season and Gabriel Martinelli sidelined for a month in the last week.

These fitness issues mean Arteta has just Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri to pick from in forward areas.

Despite this, the Gunners should have far too much for a poor Leicester side embroiled in a relegation battle.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	West HamWest Ham	24	7	6	11	29	46	-17	27
17	WolvesWolves	24	5	4	15	34	52	-18	19
18	LeicesterLeicester	24	4	5	15	25	53	-28	17
19	IpswichIpswich	24	3	7	14	22	49	-27	16
20	SouthamptonSouthampton	24	2	3	19	18	54	-36	9

Leicester have a terrible defensive record, having conceded more goals than any team in the league barring Southampton.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy has struggled to positively impact the Foxes’ since replacing Steve Cooper in the King Power Stadium dugout, with his side failing to deal with dynamic forwards on a weekly basis.

Arsenal created over six expected goals against Leicester in the reverse fixture at the Emirates, taking a staggering 26 shots in the game.

While Mavididi’s threat is something for Arteta’s team to keep an eye on, this should be a walk in the park for the North London outfit.