Gilles Sunu is ready to follow compatriot Francis Coquelin back to France for the coming season, with the rapid forward eying a second loan spell. The former Châteauroux prospect signed a new two-year-contract at the end of last season, following a short spell with Derby County in the Championship.
Sunu’s development has been ramped up in the last 12 months, with a Carling Cup start and a appearance in the Champions League all key in building the promising Frenchman’s experience. In February he joined Derby County on loan and impressed, with one goal and a bag full of assists in nine matches before injury.
Speaking to FootMercato.net, the 19-year-old revealed the advice given to him by Arsene Wenger before making the switch to the Rams.
“He said he’d fit me in more with the first team for future matches but at my age most important thing is to play every week. And if it is not possible this year with Arsenal, I prefer to go on loan.”
With the news yesterday that the Reserves has been disbanded, those ineligible for Under 18 football will either need to step up to the first-team or go on loan. The former is the first priority, but the route Francis Coquelin has already taken this year, going on loan in Ligue One, is a viable option.
“If Arsenal want to count on me, my main goal is to have more playing time at the club. Otherwise, I leave on loan again, but this time in France, a bit like the situation with Francis Coquelin. My priority is to return to France.”
The smart free betting has been on a switch to either Bordeaux or Sochaux in the French media, with his future poised to be agreed upon his return from the UEFA Under 19 European Championships later this month.
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I really like Gilles when I had access to live reserves games through ATVO he was always impressive going forward and tracking back which can be a rarity in the first team! I wish him the best of luck but really hope he makes the first team soon enough? Peace thanks J
interested to see how the both of them get on over there
BORDEUAX! That would be a big move! As long as he gets game time its all good
bordeaux have wendel and goufran so not sure how much playing time with those two in front of him
Schouax might be a better choice for him
Gilles sunu good player but doesnt have the x factor.
Reserves matches i have seen hes worked hard but he hasnt really stood out like a bendtner at 16,17.
The only strikers that have impressed me are Luke freeman, Rhys muprhy and sanchez watt.
you are the biggest bendtner fan I have ever seen
doesnt matter if its about afobe, freeman or now sunu Bendtner always comes in somehow
I don’t see the logic in loaning players back to their homeland, or any other European country for that matter (unless it is connected with work permit issues, like the situations of Vela or Botelho). First it was Coquelin, who looks like a really good prospect for the future, now Sunu. We intend to bring those young players so that one day they’d be able to play for Arsenal, in the Premier League, right? That’s our goal. But English football has its own rhythm, its own style, it’s nothing like France or Spain. We want the Arsenal players not only to gain playing experience wherever they can, but also to get the taste of competitive English football. I think loaning out players to Yeovil or Colchester is much more beneficial than loaning players to Lorient or Bordeaux, even if they are top flight teams in France. When the players come back, they’d be like foreign players and not like Arsenal-made players, because they didn’t live in England in the past year and their only competitive football experience was in France. I just don’t see the point.
But I’ve never been that impressed with Sunu, to be honest…
You got it all wrong loan spells are all about the mental aspect of the game,Arsenal has already grilled the technical aspect of the game in them
In France he will have media pressure, peer pressure and he wil be playing for a big club in the top flight. If he copes with the pressures and comes through then next step will be arsenal first team or a good PL team
I think sending our players to france is a fantastic idea. France unlike other leagues is a lot like our league, Some teams plays really rough and some teams are very good technically.
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I’m not sure, based on the results of England in WC2010, EPL is the only solution to develop as a player. Seems like MLS, Bundesliga, etc. provides more than enough to be competitive against those playing in EPL…
Most US players on the starting 11 played their football in europe somewhere.
J
man arent you watching the world cup? I hope Van Persie wins it for the Dutch
back on topic
Sunu is a powerhouse with pace something every PL club loves but how good is he in crossing, linkup play etc My question is how good do people think Sunu is technically?
I think hes ok but not nothing more than usual and if wenger thinks he has a future in the first team then good for Sunu but I never saw Sunu becoming a regular first team player does anyone else?
If he can play For Bordeaux then that will be fantastic loan deal for him and it might make our situation with Bordeaux a little bit better
Andrew i compare these young strikers to bendtner because they have to be as good or even better than bendtner to get into the first team.
Bendtner was brilliant and sorry i havent seen any strikers in the youth teams better than him at his age
I dont totally agree with that
yes talent is one thing and Bendtner has shown he has bags of it but we have had so many talented players come through our youth system and so many have looked like the next big thing but end up being released by the clubs.
Mental strength and physical strength count just as much as talent and Eastmond like I keep saying again and again is a very good example of this
He knows and we know that he’s not the most talented kid in his position but he was mentally strong enough to say to himself If I keep working hard then I will make it and his getting straigth up after taking a kick has won him many admirers including me
I prefer him over Coquelin right now even though I know Coquelin is a better player than Eastmond.So maybe sunu or afobe or freeman may not be as talented as Bendtner but if they have the mental toughness and a never say die attitude then they will succeed
Frankly only Sanchez Watt has impressed me out of all our strikers. He has pace in abundance, fantastic touch, very good positioning, very hard grafter, always puts pressure on opposition CBs, great finishing. The only issue is strength and link up play but hopefully they improve.
so do you think Henderson will go out on loan or stick with the first team? he appeared on the bench on the latter stages of the season
I’m a Derby fan and watched him several times and he failed to impress on every occasion, the guys not good enough for Derby let alone Arsenal! sorry guys he is not the next Ian Wright, another young kid with potential only.
gibbs did horrible in his loan spell
so did mannone
but they have both done a wonderfull job when they came into the first team
In my view what coaches look in development of players when they go on loan is their mentally aspect and how they deal with situations. If they lose a match do they go down or do they pick themselves up and try and do a better job next time
so it really doesnt matter how bad sunu did for derby all its matter is how he developed mentally
“fantastic touch” is a bit strong for Sanchez Watt. He has great pace, a good left foot, and is a real fighter. But I’m afraid that won’t be enough to make it here.
Andrew,
I agree with you. Talent is one thing but in order for a player to succeed he needs the right attitude. On the other hand Bendy was great as a youngster without a doubt but his record was not as good as Afobe’s
I don’t know what Bendtners record was at U18 but i remember it was very good. And he scored 22 goals in 27 in the reserves which was an excellent record and when he was 17/18 which is around same age as Afobe but we won’t be able to compare their reserve records now our reserve team has been disbanded.
Like most of our youths this guy is better than Walcott. France would be perfect for him but I don’t think bordoux will be the best place. Hopefully he will impress from the beginning and play a lot of games in france.
this is what MESSI SAID ABOUT THEO
read and you may learn something
Messi, 23, was shocked when Capello named his World Cup squad, and believes England would have had more success if Walcott was onboard.
“I must say that at the time I thought it was a bad decision to leave Theo Walcott at home,” he told the Daily Star.
“And I think that has been proved right. I can only speak from experience but he was one of the most dangerous players I have ever played against.
“Barcelona players are not scared easily but I can tell you that when we played Arsenal last season he truly worried us.
“When we were playing Arsenal at the Emirates we were so in control of the game at 2-0, with all respect Arsenal were not even in the game.
“Then Theo came on and changed the game. He pretty much single-handedly salvaged a draw against Barcelona that night.
“Even in the return leg our manager Pep Guardiola was telling us he was the player to watch out for.
“And the best players in the world like Xavi and Gerard Pique were telling us to watch out for him. The truth is that he really rattled us.
“If he could do that against Barcelona, think what he could have done against Germany and Algeria. Even if he didn’t start he would still have been very important for England.
“Along with Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Aguero he would have been the best impact player at the World Cup.”
Messi, whose Argentina side crashed out in the quarter-finals after also being thumped by Germany, says Walcott’s pace is his best asset.
He added: “Even at the top level, pace scares the world’s best defenders. And, take it from me, he would scare any defender.
“When England brought on players I don’t think they were at the level to make any impact. But Walcott would have been and I still can’t understand why he wasn’t taken.
“He is a big-game player as well who rises to the occasion. He scored a hat-trick in Croatia, which nobody ever does and was the star against Barcelona.”
Alex,
Lupoli – Bendtner partnership was quite lethal. To bad Lupoli wasn’t patient
Its not just bendtners goals. It the way he performs. He looked amazing and always had an impact in every game. His dribbling ability was brilliant to watch and his skills and vision.
When you watch guys like afobe, watt, murphy you dont really get that exicitement.
At arsenal you have got be special to play as a striker and i ahvent seen anything special from our youth strikers aprt from maybe freeman.
I agree on most of the strikers except Sanchez Watt. He hasnt got Tevez’s or Forlan’s skills or finishing but you get that same sense that his sheer hustle creates possibilities for the team,
Since Wenger rates Galindo so highly.. why is he not offered to a La Liga clubs on loan than giving him away at Celta who play in the second division.. I dont get that Jay….
maybe no la liga club wanted him ever think about that?
i am so pissed off
suarez is a cheat. it is not like he stopped a goal scoring chance he stopped a goal as if he was playing volleyball.
he did it for uruguay. he is no cheat!!!
Anyone who watches suarez knows hes a cheat. He dives alot hes a wonderful footballer though but when he has an off day hes truly awful.
Whether u cheat 4 your country or not you have still cheated. It’s a pity really. There would have been no need to even give a penalty had suarez not been there. A clear cut goal from Adiyah who would have been an African hero. Same player who gave Ghana the under 20 world cup
graeme poll said in the newspaper today that, in cases like this one the referees should be able to award a penalty goal
JS is it true that there were problems with Koscielny’s medical yesterday?
Since Wenger rates Galindo so highly.. why is he not offered to a La Liga clubs on loan than giving him away at Celta who play in the second division.. I dont get that Jay.. if he is capable enough to train with the first team before crucial encounters then why should he be sent to a place where his efforts wont be acknowledged as highly as they might be if he plays in the top division….
to train and to play weekly for the first team is not the same. I think celta cigo will be a good place for him to begin with. la liga will be good for his last year before coming to us. The most important thing is to get a lot of playing time.
i know the most important thing is to get a lot of playing time.. but why not in la liga.. is he not capable enough to break into a mid table la liga team.. if not then we shouldnt be that bothered about his staying away from us for the next 1.5 years….
he is yet very untested against top quality players such as in la liga. I think if he proves himself in celta vigo then we all know how good he will be in la liga too. He is only 18 years old and there are no room for another world class talent in the first team. We shouldn’t hurry him because we already have JET and Lansbury in the team. Maybe he is not good enough yet. we should just accept it and lets see his development.
IMHO France is a better prepartion for the EPl than the Spanish or Italian league. Going back to ligue 1 in France (if they actually play) may be a good move for our players.
A lot of our players went on loan at lower league and had disappointed experience. In some case it was because they were not ready or had a bad attitude. In others it was because the coaching staff did not know what to do. They were not ready to fully trust from when being young means accepting a certain lack of consistency. In some case they just failed to see the talent and did not play them or play them in the wrong position.
Christian Gourcuff (manager of Lorient) has the same philosophy than Arsene Wenger and that is good news for Coquelin.
Jean Tigana is also somebody who trust young players. Also he is a proper coach, which is what young players need rather than managing. However I do not see him getting Gilles Sunu on a season long loan if Bordeaux does not have an option to buy him at the end of the loan.
Gilles Sunu has talent but I cannot see him being a world class striker. He is more likely to have a career a la Aliadiere. Very good at youth level but never made the final step up to world class player.
Sanchez Watt may not have the technical talent of others but his never say die attitude and his constant hustling of the opposite back line makes him very effective. The fact that is is very quik also help to put pressure on the opposition defense, relieving our midfield. In a lot of game, his pressure ended up with a throw in for us or recovering the bal quite high the pitch. Some time you need a player who will be a pest to the opposition. I would not be surprised if the season after next he is on the fringe of the first team.
One problem that Young English players face is their lack of language skills. Most of them do not speak a foreign language meaning that a season long loan abroad is out of the question, except Ireland or Cyprus (but no disrespect to those countries, but their league is a step down from league 1 football).
JS have arsenal started pre season yet?
i belive we start on thursday…