Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been sent a stark warning when it comes to what he must do with the club’s young talents.
There are a number of extremely talented youth prospects on the books at Arsenal at this time.
For instance, big things are expected of Ethan Nwaneri. The 17-year-old has already made two Premier League appearances, and is now on the verge of a real first team breakthrough.
Nwaneri is expected to feature more heavily for Arsenal at senior level this season than he ever has before, and could even be viewed as an internal solution to the matter of replacing Emile Smith Rowe.
On top of that, Myles Lewis-Skelly is another who has caught the eye of Mikel Arteta, as he impressed in pre-season. In fact, Martin Odegaard was impressed by all the Hale End academy gems who joined the Arsenal first team on their recent pre-season tour of the US.
Of course, Arsenal fans would love to see Nwaneri and Co. all given a real shot at stepping up to the first team. The Emirates Stadium faithful will want the club’s most talented youngsters to be afforded game time by Arteta this season.
However, the Spanish coach has now been warned to resist the urge to do exactly that.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta warned against using Hale End talents
Former Chelsea defender Scott Minto has now fired a warning to the Arsenal boss about what he needs to do with the Gunners’ most talented youngsters this season.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the pundit said: “Arsenal now, and Mikel Arteta in particular, are so close to winning this Premier League title. It may sound harsh, but he can’t worry about bringing young players in and giving them time to bed in in the first team. If they’re not almost immediately good enough, he cannot risk bringing these players in.
“I think it’d be really harsh, if they don’t win the title again this season, then people will call him a failure, but people will, and he’s up against arguably the greatest club side this country has ever seen, arguably. So, he’s only got to think about the here and now.”
Arsenal must put Premier League title above Ethan Nwaneri
As harsh as it may sound, Minto makes a valid point. The Gunners stand a serious chance of being crowned champions this season. In fact, Gabby Agbonhlahor has called Arsenal the title favourites.
On top of that, pundits have backed Arsenal to beat Manchester City in the title race this season. If these predictions are to come true, though, then Arteta must do everything he can to maximise his side’s chances.
That means not taking unnecessary risks by playing young players, including Nwaneri, on a regular basis. Such youthful gems may well need game time to support their development, but the Gunners need to put all of their weight behind this title push, above everything else.
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