Author: Staff Writer

Welcome to this weekends Loanees Watch – Young Guns’ analysis, reports and updates on the progress of the young starlets currently plying their trade away from the Emirates Stadium. You can read all the latest reports below.

Arsenal currently have seven Reserves & Youth players gaining experience elsewhere. Jay Simpson and Henri Lansbury are taking part in successive loans in the Championship with Queens Park Rangers and Watford respectively and are joined by Kerrea Gilbert who is with Peterborough United. There are four youngsters in League One with Gavin Hoyte at struggling Brighton, Mark Randall with Milton Keynes Dons plus Wojciech Szczęsny and Rhys Murphy are enjoying their first spells away from the club at Brentford.

The Gunners currently have two youngsters cutting their teeth abroad. Pedro Botelho is spending his third successive loan spell in the Spanish Segunda, but this time with Celta de Vigo, while Håvard Nordtveit is spending the campaign in Germany with Nuremberg. Read all the latest reports below.

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Arsène Wenger has handed starts to Francis Coquelin and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas in today’s FA Cup fourth round clash with Stoke City. The promising midfielders both play out of position however, with Coquelin slotting in at right-back and Emmanuel-Thomas leading the line as a striker.

Craig Eastmond continues his impressive run in the first-team with Reserve team captain Kyle Bartley joining Emmanuel Frimpong on the substitutes bench. Young Guns announced earlier today that Coquelin and Emmanuel-Thomas would be making their FA Cup debuts via Twitter, for more news like this plus opinions and news that might not make the website, make sure you follow us @YoungGunsBlog.

Article By – J.Sanderson

Arsenal Under 18’s put their disappointing FA Youth Cup elimination behind them yesterday with a 4-0 win over Portsmouth in the Premier Academy League. Roarie Deacon bagged a classy brace to end his recent goal drought while Benik Afobe and Luke Freeman added one each in their personal battle to be top scorer.

McDermott
Byles – Boateng – Miquel – Brislen-Hall
Aneke – Yennaris – Meade
Deacon – Afobe – Freeman

Subs:- Dunn, Obed, Evina, Edge.

Arsenal looked to make an instant reaction to going out of the Youth Cup to Ipswich in midweek and snapped out of the traps. Early pressure tolled and following a lovely team move, Luke Freeman turned home the opener inside the opening three minutes. Portsmouth battled hard and could have had the equalizer but the hosts ended the first half in front.

The second period was just moments old when Roarie Deacon exploded into life and smashed the second to kill off the game. He would go on to add another late on but not before Benik Afobe bagged the third. It finished 4-0 at London Colney.

Also in action this weekend, Arsenal’s Under 16’s who also claimed a win against Portsmouth – 2-0. Swiss defender Martin Angha made his debut at this level as he is still waiting for the FA to ‘rubber stamp’ his registration to play for the Under 18’s. Without injured striker Zak Ansah, the Gunners lacked the cutting edge but still won 2-0, with Balkan winger Alban Bunjaku and defensive midfielder Samir Bihmoutine grabbing the goals.

Article By – J.Sanderson

Wojciech Szczęsny has extended his loan spell with Brentford for a further week, while Arsenal wait for Vito Mannone to make his mind up on a potential switch to Plymouth Argyle.

Szczęsny initially joined Brentford on loan in November and has now twice penned extensions – the latest taking him up to the 30th of January. The Bees have been talking to Arsenal about extending the loan since Monday but were told a deal was off as Wojciech would be promoted to third-choice with Vito Mannone heading out the exit door for an experience building move.

Vito had been in talks with Plymouth Argyle but he failed to agree terms and asked for extra time to study other offers. Poland international Szczęsny then had a meeting with Arsène Wenger where he made it clear his frustration at the situation as he was keen to continue his run of games. Instead, the Gunners managed to quickly agree a short-term deal with Brentford. This means the 19-year-old will be eligible for games against Norwich, Southampton and Oldham.

Article By – J.Sanderson

Head of Youth Development officers Liam Brady and David Court have decided who – of the current crop of Under 16’s  – will have the chance to go on and potentially be future Arsenal stars.

The annual decision is taken in January to give the unlucky few the opportunity to find new employment before the season comes to a close and for those who are now added the payroll a chance to further imbed their names in the coaching staff’s thoughts ahead of the next campaign. The brochure they will read in July opens with the follow statement:

“This is the finest opportunity you are ever going to have to become an elite player and acquire some educational qualifications as you train. The rewards are enormous but you have to earn them. Give 100 per cent to everything you do and you will get there in the end”

Tought decisions needed to be made yesterday evening and there were, of course, casualties as players who have grown up together went head-to-head in their bid to become professional footballers. Yet it shows the quality of the Academy that three of the prospects who didn’t make the cut are all first-choice internationals. Goalkeepers Yilmaz Aksoy and Luke Chambers – who turn out for Turkey and Wales respectively – were joined by Northern Ireland centre back Joe Jones on the aforementioned casualty list. Fellow defenders Alie Sesay and Mike Hassini also missed out. Injury prone Under 15 captain Hassini has already moved on, penning a deal with Southend.

So to those who did make it. Stopper Reice Charles-Cook fought off competition to be the only glovesman signing on, while Republic of Ireland international Steven Smith plus full backs Ben Glasgow and James Campbell were also given the nod. Midfielders Josh Rees, Callum Webb and Samir Bihmoutine were joined by Jeffrey Monakana and Nigel Neita on the list.

The complete list of scholars including new signings Martin Angha and Jamie Edge will be announced at the end of the season.

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Article By – J.Sanderson

Pedro Botelho was in action this evening as Celta Vigo took on Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey quarter-final. The Brazilian winger, on loan with the Spanish outfit until the summer, won the decisive penalty which knocked out Villareal in the last round.

Botelho started in his new role as a left winger at the Vicente Calderón Stadium as Celta snapped straight out of the traps and bagged an early goal. Roberto Trashorras’ fourth minute strike stunned the home crowd but Madrid hit back 6 minutes later when Tiago headed home Jose Reyes’ drilled corner.

The game then started to get scrappy as niggling fouls became the norm but Celta always looked dangerous on the wing. Botelho did have two unsuccessful dribbles at Tomas Ujfalusi but the Czech defender stood firm against the silky Brazilian. Sergio Aguero was kept quiet but he did look dangerous when he and Reyes combined down the right, but Pedro managed to get back and cover his full-back with a fine challenge.

The second period brought more scrappy challenges and fouls as Botelho moved into a central midfield role, but he struggled to get into the play. In the 72nd minute he took a smack across the mouth from Aguero and then really went out of the game. In the 81st minute Real Madrid loanee Joselu replaced the 20-year-old who turned in a hard-working performance yet failed to really make an impact. The away goal could prove to be crucial for Celta who are on the verge of something very special.

Also in Cup action, Mark Randall came on in the 36th minute of the Johnson’s Paint Trophy Southern Area final against Southampton. Winger Michail Antonio smashed the winner from close range in a fiery game. Randall was involved in a confrontation with a handful of Southampton players following a poor tackle on French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, who was later sent off for a different offence.

Article By – J.Sanderson

Arsenal’s Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis is holding talks with Gilles Sunu this week over extending his contract. The club want to get the Frenchman’s long-term future decided before he is loaned to one of three Championship club’s who have been in touch regarding a short-term deal.

Sunu joined the Gunners from Chateauroux in 2007 and was a key member of the Under 18 side which won the Premier Academy League and FA Youth Cup double, scoring 11 times. He thrived in the striker role after previously looking shaky down the middle and being operated as a winger – a position which he featured in when he played the closing stages of the Champions League clash with Olympiacos earlier this season.

Gilles has often found life in London difficult and was previously interested in a return to France with Lyon, but the move never came to fruition. Instead Arsène Wenger has indicated that he sees Sunu as an option for the future, this was confirmed when he was handed a start in the Carling Cup in a 2-0 win over West Brom. However, in order to progress to the next level and complete his development, he needs game time.

Blackpool were in touch at the start of the campaign, but they were rebuffed due to the contract issue and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas headed to the coast instead. Derby County are the latest club to be linked, yet early reports that they are in talks are a little premature, but the Rams do hold an interest. Sunu wants reassurances over his future especially after Sanchez Watt penned extended terms and was moved into the first-team on a regular basis.

A new deal should be place well before Gilou’s birthday in March, when he turns 19.

Article By – J.Sanderson

Arsenal are in talks with Fulham for their highly rated England Under 21 centre back Chris Smalling with a view to loaning him back to the Cottagers until the end of the season. SkySports suggests a bid in the region of £7 million will be lodged if they can get the green light from both player and club.

The 6’4 (194cm) defender made his first Premier League start for Fulham since joining from Non-League Maidstone United in 2008 at Stamford Bridge in their final game of 2009. Smalling’s imposing frame and rugged play caught the eye as the Fulham back line kept out Chelsea until John Paintsil was forced off injured. The game was decided by an unlucky own goal from the prospect but many believe he has a bright future in the game.

Already an England Under 21 international, Chris has previously played alongside Kieran Gibbs for his country and he boasts some Europa League experience having featured briefly this term. Arsenal have been keeping tabs on the youngsters development for a number of months but a move will come as a surprise especially after the recent acquisition of Sol Campbell.

More to follow.

Article By – J.Sanderson

Martin Angha has flown into London this week to begin his career with Arsenal. The Swiss centre back signed for the Gunners in the summer from FC Zürich but due to Premier Academy League rules he couldn’t feature for the Under 18’s until he turns 16 on Friday.

Angha joins fellow Swiss centre-back Sead Hajrovic who also signed in the summer but from Grasshoppers. He was present for last night’s FA Youth Cup defeat against Ipswich Town as he makes the final checks on his new digs and school before celebrating his birthday and being available for selection for the remainder of the Academy League campaign.

The prospect grew up supporting Arsenal in his native Switzerland and remained a life long Gooner despite joining FC Zürich as a 9-year-old. He rose through the ranks earning the captaincy at various youth levels but his big break came last season. He impressed during a trial with the club in 2007 but as captain of the Zürich side which beat FC Luzern in the Nike Cup final, many Premier League scouts moved to bring the defender to England. He rebuffed all offers to play against Arsenal in a trial game, where he scored a stunning free-kick but chose not to celebrate in respect for his dream side.

Angha signed and made his debut at the Emirates Stadium against Chelsea’s Under 16’s in a 4-1 win. He watched on from the stands as the first-team beat Stoke City the next day and the deal was sealed after he was given a signed Johan Djourou shirt. The 6 foot 2 inch cultured centre half towers over many forwards and that combined with his excellent technical and goal scoring abilities, add up to an awesome prospect for the future.

You can read more about Martin in his Young Guns Player Profile.

Article By – J.Sanderson