Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is planning a summer of change with potential exits looming and plans to bolster his core squad, but with pre-season underway many believe the answers lie within the club and its academy talent.
The lack of minutes for the younger players has been one of the only valid criticisms of Arteta’s Arsenal tenure in recent times and it is something sporting director Edu will be keen to rectify following their return to the Sobha Reality Training Centre.
Some key figures, like Hale End graduate Emile Smith-Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, have uncertain futures at the club after failing to work their way into Arteta’s plans.
With the expiration of Mohamed Elneny and Cedric Soares’ contracts, on top of Reuell Walters and Amario Cozier-Duberry deciding to seek a different direction, there should be plenty of pre-season minutes for the youngsters on the verge of breaking into the first team in the States.
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Arteta will look to reward youth players during US tour
The team to choose from will be impacted by who were involved in the latter stages of Euro 2024 and the Copa America. Many fans are also hoping for a glimpse of three young talents in the first few games of Arsenal’s 2024/25 pre-season tour this summer.
Arteta has spoken of his Arsenal vision for certain players and he will see it as the perfect opportunity to reward impressive campaigns in the academy and on-loan last time out.
Ethan Nwaneri
Ethan Nwaneri needs no introduction. The 17-year-old made his professional against Brentford over a year ago and has been largely limited to spots on the bench ever since. Nwaneri’s international form also now seems too good to ignore.
He remained the standout figure in a disappointing season for Arsenal’s academy side last term, notching 11 goals and three assists from an attacking midfield position. Nwaneri even flew to Dubai with the first team for the mid-season training camp.
Arsenal have been in the market for a bit of unpredictability in the final third, Nwaneri has that in abundance to go with his willingness to advance the ball. His performance against Boreham Wood on Saturday highlighted that.
With plans in the pipeline to give Nwaneri more of a role in the senior set-up, the boss told him to ‘seize his opportunity’ in April, it would be expected that he would get a fair share of minutes over the next month having just signed his first professional contract.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy
It seems a now-or-never moment for Brooke Norton-Cuffy after earning himself over 100 senior appearances on loan over the last few years.
Returning from a successful spell at Millwall, the 20-year-old right-back also had six goal involvements to his name last season.
Cedric’s departure should open doors for Norton-Cuffy, offering Arteta an alternative to the ever-present Ben White.
However, with Arsenal’s interest in Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori heating up, it seems as though there will need to be room made in the full-back positions and it could be the case that Norton-Cuffy joins promising midfielder Charlie Patino out the exit door.
His absence from Saturday’s game may speak volumes on that front, but he would prove to be a different option to what we currently have at full-back.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Defensive midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly has long been touted as one of the most exciting talents that Hale End has to offer, renowned for his technical ability.
As a 17-year-old, he’s been playing Under-21 football and hasn’t looked fazed. But it’s being reported that Arsenal could be about to put Lewis-Skelly out of his comfort zone.
Having excelled in the middle of the park, his speed and ball-progressing abilities have led Arsenal to believe Lewis-Skelly is worth trying in the Zinchenko mould at left-back.
Speaking on the Arseblog Arsecast, journalist James McNicholas opened up on ‘discussions’ that have taken place at Arsenal surrounding the midfielder potentially being played at left-back.
“There has been a lot of excitement about Myles Lewis-Skelly, but I feel that part of the pitch may be more congested. I see him at the base of the midfield but there have been discussions about moving him to left-back as well as a Zinchenko-style inverted left-back, but I think his best position is at number six,” McNicholas said.
It’s not hard to see why they’re considering it. He has been compared to Michael Essien and Joshua Kimmich with impressive technique and a box-to-box engine.
Whether in midfield or the overcrowded left-back spot, it would be a shame for Arteta not to use the youngster during pre-season.
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