Part Two: Top 10 Arsenal Prospects For 2011

Arsenal’s emerging youngsters are some of the most talked about and analysed in world football. The intrigue as to who Arsène Wenger will pluck from the youth ranks and turn into a star next keeps fans and the wider media constantly keeping an eye on those showing even the slightest glimpse of potential.

Wenger shows no signs of ending his infamous youth policy in 2011, so who are the top 10 players that Gooners and those with an interest in the club should be keeping their eye trained on this year? Young Guns will attempt to answer that question.

You can read part two of our two part special on the top 10 Arsenal prospects to watch in 2011 below, with the first part here.

5. Francis Coquelin

Who? – Francis is a holding midfielder who joined Arsenal from Stade Lavallois in 2007. He is currently spending the season on loan with Ligue One club FC Lorient. He’s also a French Under 20 international.

Why? – Coquelin has shown he has all the qualities needed to break through at Arsenal, but just needs experience to push him over the line. Lorient have a good record of developing players and Francis will hope to follow the route taken by Laurent Koscielny, who came straight into the Arsenal first-team after a season under Christian Gourcuff’s management. A tough and all action defensive midfielder, if all goes according to plan, he’ll push offer real competition to Alexandre Song for a first-team spot.

4. Kyle Bartley

Who? – Kyle is a powerful centre back who signed from Bolton in 2007. He has since had two loan spells with Sheffield United, but is at currently with Scottish Champions Rangers on loan. He played Champions League football for Arsenal last season.

Why? – Arsenal are in need of a centre back with height, power and excellent heading ability. Bartley possess all this and more. He’s earned mass praise during two loan spells with Sheffield United and now joins Rangers who are battling to win three trophies, including the Europa League. Many believe Kyle is ready for a run in the first-team, and the experience of battling for titles with Rangers should give him an edge as he looks to break through next season.

3. Pedro Botelho

Who? – Pedro is a versatile left sided player signed from Figueirense in 2007. He is currently in his fourth year on loan after failing to win a work permit. He is currently facing an international tug-of-war between Spain and Brazil.

Why? – Botelho’s early career has been tarnished by various attitude problems, but he’s finally got his game together and looks a fantastic prospect. Comfortable at left back or on the left of a front three, the youngster has been arguably the best player in the Spanish Segunda this season. His tall, skillful and touch-line hugging approach gives him an edge on other Arsenal midfielders. A return to London to finally make his debut in the summer looks inevitable.

2. Benik Afobe

Who? – Benik is a striker who has come through the Hale End Academy system and is now currently enjoying a loan spell with Huddersfield Town. He is also an England Under 19 international and has previously won the European Championships as an Under 17.

Why? – Afobe earned a reputation as a brilliant prospect in Arsenal’s Under 16′s, scoring 40 goals in 33 appearances. His move into the Under 18′s was a natural progression, and he shone there, notably scoring in the final as Arsenal retained the league. Elsewhere, a move to Huddersfield Town on loan has seen Benik grab goals in the cup competitions and earn glowing reviews from manager Lee Clark. 2011 promises to be interesting as to whether he’ll make the step up into the first team following positive comments from Wenger, or moves on loan again, possibly to a Championship club.

1. Chuks Aneke

Who? – Chuks is a powerful central midfielder who, like Afobe, came through the Hale End system. He is also an England youth international, currently capped at Under 18 level.

Why? – Aneke’s rise has been meteoric in recently seasons, and 2011 looks set to be another key year in his development. He almost made the cut to be included in the first-team in the summer, and with another season under his belt, whether Wenger pushes him on or moves him on loan, will decided just how far this talented midfielder can go. Tall, strong, but brilliantly elegant, the future looks very bright indeed for Aneke, but how he kicks on in 2011 will be key in deciding if he’ll live up to the mass potentional he has.

You can catch part one here.

Video: Highlights Of Miyaichi’s Debut

Ryo Miyaichi earned mass praise from Feyenoord manager Mario Been and captain Ron Vlaar following his debut against Vitesse Arnhem on Sunday. The winger completed the full 90 minutes at the GelreDome.

Miyaichi only received international clearance on Thursday, but went straight into the starting line up. The 18-year-old, who has only ever started games in University football in Japan, was constantly dangerous on the wing. He started on the left, but switched to the right on various occasions.

You can watch 14 minute highlights of the game by clicking here. Ryo is the number 34.

Loanees: Ramsey Assists, Miyaichi & Sunu Debut

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.

Carlos Vela came off the bench at half time for West Brom as they lost 3-0 to Manchester City. Vela looked bright on his debut against Wigan in midweek, but struggled to get involved at the City of Manchester Stadium despite getting in some excellent positions. Manager Roberto Di Matteo was sacked after the game.

Kyle Bartley was an unused substitute again for Rangers as they drew 2-2 with Celtic.

Aaron Ramsey played the full 90 minutes while Jay Emmanuel-Thomas came on with 15 minutes left as Cardiff City beat Swansea City 1-0. Ramsey has an indifferent first half but improved in the second, playing a lovely one-two with Craig Bellamy for the match winner. Emmanuel-Thomas had a chance to score late on, but lashed wide after cutting in from the wing.

Henri Lansbury started and played 71 minutes as Norwich City lost 2-1 to Bristol City. Lansbury, who scored and got an assist in midweek, didn’t make the same impact against Bristol in a disappointing defeat.

Craig Eastmond started and played 58 minutes for Millwall as they beat Doncaster Rovers 1-0. Eastmond turned in a mixed shift in the holding role for the Lions before subbed off as they searched for the winner.

Vito Mannone missed Hull City’s 5-1 win over Scunthorpe United through injury.

Sanchez Watt missed Leeds United’s 1-0 win over Coventry City through injury.

Benik Afobe missed Huddersfield Town’s 4-1 win over Exeter City through injury.

Mark Randall came off the bench to play the final 16 minutes of Rotherham’s 3-1 win over Crewe Alexandra. Randall came on with the scores at 1-1 but was involved as The Millers grabbed two late goals.

Gavin Hoyte played the full 90 minutes as Lincoln City beat Hereford United 1-0. Hoyte completed the whole game at right back.

Ryo Miyaichi played the full 90 minutes on his debut as Feyenoord drew 1-1 with Vitesse Arnhem. Miyaichi started on the left of a front three and had a selection of good chances to open his account in an impressive debut. The youngster showed lots of flair and won a free-kick in the second half which resulted in Castaignos scoring.

Francis Coquelin and Gilles Sunu both came off the Lorient bench to play the final five and one minutes respectively. Coquelin replaced Alaixys Romao in the 85th minute and Sunu, on for his debut, replaced second goal scorer Kevin Gameiro with seconds left. Sunu had one brilliant chance to score, lashing over following a fantastic run.

Armand Traoré missed Juventus’ 3-1 win over Cagliari due to injury.

Wellington Silva was an unused substitute for Levante as they beat Villareal 1-0.

Pedro Botelho played the full 90 minutes as FC Cartagena beat Elche 2-1. Cartagena had lost five matches in a row, so Botelho returned to a left back role to help sure up the defence. It worked as he turned in another good 90 minutes in a 2-1 victory.

Samuel Galindo was not part of the UD Salamanca squad that lost 2-1 to Tenerife due to injury.

Arsenal Trial Hertha Defender Siemann

Arsenal have taken Hertha BSC youngster Leander Siemann on trial, Young Guns can confirm. The German centre half has been given a week long training stint in North London.

Siemann is a product of Hertha’s highly rated Academy system and comes on trial following extensive scouting of the German system. Arsenal have already made moves in that market, signing Serge Gnabry from VfB Stuttgart in July.

The 15 year old is 178cm tall and noted for his powerful approach. He will have a week to impress Liam Brady and hopefully win a contract for next season.

Elsewhere, Israeli midfielders Gael Margolis and Omri Altman have been sent home early from trials with Arsenal. The media in their home land broke the news in November that they were set to come to London for a run out. Altman enjoyed a previous spell with Liverpool. He failed to impress on Mersyside but was offered another chance to impress with the Gunners.

However, both Maccabi Tel Aviv prospects were sent home after a handful of sessions.

Arsenal Continue Scouting Sakho

Arsenal will step up their scouting of Paris Saint-Germain centre back Mamadou Sakho ahead of a possible bid in the summer. Sakho has seen talks over a new contract with the Ligue One outift break down.

The 20-year-old has been followed by Arsenal since he impressed for France’s Under 16 team in 2006, and scouts have watched his progress with both PSG and the national team over recent years. He made his debut for his home town club aged just 17 and has consistently been linked with the Gunners in the European media.

Sakho is a six foot two inch centre half who posses excellent physical qualities and good technique. A selection of clubs from England, Italy and Spain have all sent scouts to watch him, but interest cooled last year after a poor opening half of the season. He has since recovered his best form and a move in the summer is almost inevitable.

However, questions have been raised over Mamadou’s attitude and mentality. Last year PSG were forced to offer an apology on behalf of their player after he physically attacked a journalist from Le Parisien, who published a crtical article on his conduct at a night club, hours after a defeat to Lorient.

French newspaper L’Equipe claimed earlier in the week that Arsenal had been in touch with PSG, and published details of an apparent contract offer and transfer fee. That report is believed to be wide of the mark, but Paris based scout Gilles Grimandi has made low level contact in the past.

Sakho’s negotiations over a new contract have broken down with PSG, and Arsenal are ready to step up their scouting of the youngster with a potential bid in mind for the summer.

Arsène Wenger should get a chance to look at Sakho next week, as he’s been named in the France National Team to play Brazil at the Stade de France. Mamadou could even partner Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny at centre half after he received his first call up. Wenger regularly works as an analyst on France for a number of TV networks.

Arsenal’s Deadline Day: How It Happened

London Colney was a far cry from the majority of Premier League training grounds yesterday, as clubs up and down the country made last minute additions on a frenetic transfer deadline day.

Arsenal were one of the quieter sides in the market this year, but there was business going on up to yesterdays deadline, mostly with players going out. We detail the final days of the window from an Arsenal perspective.

The pursuit of Southampton winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain created most of the transfer related headlines over the month, but the deal, despite seeming very much on a week ago, never came to fruition. A number of English newspapers consistently jumped the gun on his protracted signing, but the League One club were never close to parting with their star man.

Arsenal moved in amid massive interest from Manchester United and Liverpool, but negotiating a deal proved a frustrating and ultimately unsuccessful task. The club were willing to match Southampton’s £10 million asking fee, but were miles apart in their payment ideas. The Gunners were only willing to pay around £5 million now, with £3 million in add ons in the future, and the rest in structured bonuses. That was swiftly turned down, and despite more talks, the interest in concluding a deal ended over the weekend.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has set his heart on a move to North London, but the Saints proved once more what a tricky club they are to do deals with. Liverpool also made an offer, but that was rejected as well. A future move for the 17-year-old could be on the cards, but its not clear at this stage.

There was also a selection of outs yesterday. Gavin Hoyte re-signed on loan with Lincoln City until the end of the season, Gilles Sunu got his wish of a short term move back to France with Lorient, Ryo Miyaichi’s loan move to Feyenoord was rubber stamped and Nacer Barazite sealed a permanent switch to Austria Vienna.

Barazite moves on a free transfer, but under FIFA rules, Vienna will be paying Arsenal a small training allowance of around £100,000. The move had been on the cards for a while, with Arsène Wenger telling the Dutchman he was free to leave in the summer.

Elsewhere, there was late drama involving Kyle Bartley. Wenger had spoken of the potential of recalling him from Sheffield United earlier in the day, but then a switch to Scottish Champions Rangers came about. The Blades confirmed that they had mutually agreed to cancel the loan deal earlier in the day, with the Gunners returning some of the loan fee paid.

Bartley’s switch to Rangers, until the end of the season, came without him even going to Glasgow. In fact he only arrived there this afternoon. The transfer baffled some Arsenal fans, but Europa League football, the prospect of playing Celtic three times and a Cup final to look forward to in the next few weeks, add up to a solid experience building move.

It’s a far cry from the nightmare unfolding at Sheffield United, who have had three managers this season. Kyle is expected to go straight into the squad for tomorrows game against Hearts.

Szczesny Reveals How He Injured Fabianski

Wojciech Szczęsny has completed the journey from the Arsenal youth ranks to Arsène Wenger’s first-team, but the Polish stopper has revealed how he unexpectedly earned the right to be first choice.

Szczęsny had been the number two to fellow countryman Łukasz Fabiański, but a bizarre training injury, caused by Wojciech, opened the door and left Fabiański needing surgery that could end his season. The 20-year-old explained what happened in to Sport.pl.

“I was warming Fabian up before the game with Manchester City and I took a very powerful shot. He made a beautiful save but also got an injury. I didn’t do it on purpose, I was just doing my job. I feel stupid about it. I even told him it would have been better if he didn’t save that shot.”

“I take advantage of my team mates’ misfortunes.”

The young ‘keeper has undertaken a remarkable transformation in recent months, and he admits he’s learned from the experiences.

“My example shows how everything changes dynamically in football. Three months ago I was the most frustrated keeper in the world. I didn’t play, I didn’t see any perspectives, I didn’t know if I was getting a new contract. I said that I even was thinking about leaving.”

Wojciech then went on to say he believes he’s ‘deserved’ a fresh call up to the Polish national team, but is taking it all in his stride. As for life at Arsenal, the youngster couldn’t be happier.

“I’m playing in a big club. The boss is praising me and if I don’t give him reasons, then he will not take me out from between the sticks. If we play well, keep winning and concede few goals, the manager will not take me out. Slowly I’m getting used to the fact that I will probably play against Barcelona in couple of weeks’ time in the Champions League. I’m not thinking about who I will take the shirt from, but about how to play well. “

“I’m working on my future, I want to take the chance that was gifted to me by luck as best as I can.”

Szczęsny, who broke both his arms in a freak training incident two years ago, continues his run in the team with a start against Everton tonight.

Bartley In Talks Over Rangers Move

Kyle Bartley is in talks over a loan move to Scottish Champions Glasgow Rangers, according to news outlets North of the border. The centre back is currently on a season long loan to Sheffield United.

Bartley has been a regular for the Championship strugglers but news broke this evening via Scottish site The Daily Record that Rangers had been in touch over a loan switch until the end of the season. The transfer has since been confirmed by Arsenal’s Benik Afobe via his Twitter page.

Update: BBC confirm the deal.

Barazite Signs For Austria Vienna

Nacer Barazite has joined Austria Vienna on a free transfer from Arsenal. The Dutchman has signed a two and a half year contract with the Austrian outfit.

Barazite has been on loan with home town club Vitesse Arnhem since the start of the season, but has only been used sparingly by manager Albert Ferrer. He quit the Eredivise club in January but returned after they negotiated a second loan deal with Arsenal. However, the 20-year-old only played once more before joining Austria Vienna on trial.

Nacer scored two goals and made another one in a trial game against Dinamo Bucharest last week, and the Bundesliga club opened talks with Arsenal straight away. Arsène Wenger has allowed the winger to leave for free, and he signs a two and a half year deal with the option for a third in the clubs favour.

Barazite was also subject to a late offer from Red Bull Salzburg, but had already decided on Vienna.

This news was revealed on our live Arsenal transfer blog earlier.  You can follow the latest updates until the transfer window shuts at 11pm tonight by clicking here.