After spending the majority of his 14 year reign at Arsenal focusing on recruiting and moulding some of the best young player out there, this season could be the time that a lot of those hot prospects finally make a real impact for Arsene Wenger.
In the Arsenal squad, there are at least six younger players who could make the grade in Wenger’s first team this season. In defence Kieran Gibbs will be looking to challenge Gael Clichy for the left-back slot. Gibbs missed much of last season with injury but is fit again and was recently called up to Fabio Capello’s England squad. Johan Djourou and Alex Song have been around the first 11 for a few seasons now but will be looking for more regular roles this season.
Jack Wilshere had a successful spell at Premier League side Bolton last season. Bolton boss Owen Coyle was desperate to bring the midfielder back to the Reebok for part of this season. That’s no surprise – when he turned up there last year the Bolton betting hinted they were on their way down, but his performances helped save the side’s season.
However, Wenger has kept the 18-year-old at Arsenal, so clearly he will get games under his belt this term. Wilshere was also a part of the last England squad and is expected to achieve great things in his career although this may prove be a season to early. He did start his club’s opening Premier League game in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool though and may yet shine in the coming months.
Another midfielder who has all the attributes to become an Arsenal regular is Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. The six foot three midfielder spent part of last season on loan to Championship side Doncaster Rovers, where he looked head and shoulders above his team-mates in terms of quality.
Theo Walcott has made an electric start to the season after disappointingly missing out on England’s World Cup squad. He scored a stunning hat-trick in Arsenal’s last game against Blackpool and looks to be fulfilling his exciting potential after a couple of fairly disappointing campaigns.
Another forward looking for a regular starting spot is Mexican striker Carlos Vela. After five years at the club, Vela has played over 50 games for Arsenal, although he’s never been used on a regular basis. The striker has bags of ability and will be out to prove a point in Nicklas Bendtner’s absence from the first team.
Whether everything will click for Wenger and his young stars this season remains to be seen, but given the signings he has made during the summer it appears that the blend of youth and experience at the club is just about perfect. They will challenge for trophies on all fronts in the coming months.
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