Arsenal have beaten Chelsea to the signing of Dutch Under 17 international Kyle Ebecilio, according to RTV Rijnmond. The 16-year-old midfielder will join from Feyenoord on July 1st.
Ebecilio, a strong and powerful attacking midfielder, has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea in recent weeks, but a reported last minute move from the Gunners has seen them seal the deal, much to Feyenoord’s dismay. Kyle is the cousin of Blues defender Jeffrey Bruma.
More to follow.
The 2009-2010 season is now well and truly over. With attention now beginning to turn to the rapidly approaching new campaign, we’re holding our annual Reserves and Youth player awards. In what’s proved to be another successful year, Steve Bould’s Under 18’s are again League Champions, while Neil Banfield’s Reserves finished second in Reserves League South.
The coaching staff will no doubt be impressed with the improvements in the various teams, but the real judgement comes in which youngsters make the first-team. Craig Eastmond was the huge surprise, stepping up from average full back to promising central midfielder while Francis Coquelin ultimately made the reverse switch. Kyle Bartley, Thomas Cruise and Gilles Sunu all made their Champions League debuts, and Jack Wilshere continued his development with more game time before leaving for Bolton.
So to the awards. There are six categories and six awards up for grabs, in different sections and aspects of the Reserves & Youth system. They were as follows;
Under 18 Player Of The Year –
Reserve Team Player Of The Year –
Loanee Of The Year –
Signing Of The Year –
Break Through Starlet For Next Year –
Overall Player Of The Year –
Voting is open until midnight on Sunday 6th of June. Please use the survey below to cast your votes;
Arsenal have completed the signing of Norwich City striker Philip Roberts. The Republic of Ireland Under 17 international has moved to North London on scholarship terms after his deal at Carrow Road expired. Roberts impressed during a trial spell towards the end of last season.
Arsenal’s collection of Irish talent is on the increase. Conor Henderson, Sean McDermott, Callum Webb, Ben Glasgow and Steven Smith are all young Gunners who have turned out in the Green shirt at youth level, and Roberts’ signing continues the tradition the club have with The Emerald Isle. That said, Roberts leads a new wave of different and exciting Irish talent.
Philip has only been part of the Norwich City Academy for a few years, yet he’s earned a solid reputation during his time in Norfolk. A quick, powerful, strong and skillful striker who can play either down the middle as a target man, versatility in a variety of formations is a key tick in the box.
The youngster has been hitting large numbers of goals for Norwich’s Under 15’s but it was the step up into the Under 16’s last year where he really impressed. His frightening pace has run teams ragged, including Arsenal. Roberts fired home an injury time winner at Norwich’s Colney training centre, and went on to bag a number of goals throughout the campaign. Although born in England, he chose to represent the Republic of Ireland and was soon selected at Under 16 level.
In late 2009, Phil was selected and handed a start against the Czech Republic in a friendly. With the scores at 1-1, he broke clear of the strong Czech back line and showed great composure to fire into the corner. A dream debut with what proved to be the winner.
Liam Brady soon heard about his blossoming talent and he joined Arsenal on trial for the closing stages of the season. A brace on his debut was impressive, he then went on to bang in the goals before being invited to Italy for the Ferolli Cup. Another double was chalked up against Juventus in the opening group game, but a very young side went crashing out early.
Comparisons in playing style with Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor are very easy to make, but with the ability to hold the ball up and be dominant in the air, Philip Roberts is added to the collection of promising strikers within the Academy.
Arsenal have been granted a work permit for Argentinian goalkeeper Emilio Damián Martínez. The 17-year-old, who will be first-choice for the Under 18’s next season, will now be available for selection from July 1st.
Martínez signed for Arsenal following a trial last August, in a deal which Young Guns announced first. After remaining with parent club Independiente, he spent the final months of the season in North London with the Gunners confident they could win a work permit for the exciting stopper.
A first choice for Argentina at Under 17 level, the national team value the promising stopper as one of the best to come through the ranks in recent years, and subsequently respected goalkeeping coach Miguel Angel Santoro joined Damián at London Colney during his trial. An incentive based $2 million (£1.3 million) contract was thrashed out before he even touched down and now after winning the permit, another section of the money will now change hands.
At 6’3, Martínez is first notable for his height, but his excellent shot stopping and kicking add up to a notable combination. He has already made his debut for Arsenal, playing 45 minutes against Colorado Rapids at London Colney in March.
Luke Freeman has received offers from both Queens Park Rangers and Yeovil Town after Arsène Wenger granted the striker permission to leave on loan. The decision came after Freeman instigated a meet with the manager as he plots his route in first-team football.
After netting 17 goals across all competitions last season, Luke’s continued improvement is not going unnoticed. Since joining from Gillingham for £100,000 in January 2008, the forward has ridden some ups and downs and is now looking more and more a typical Arsenal player. Although used sparingly for the Reserves, the Datford born prospect did score against Chelsea in the closing stages of the campaign.
He turned 18 in March, and with Benik Afobe set to progress into the Reserves and be a regular next season, Luke is keen to stay ahead of the game. League One Yeovil have approached the Gunners with the offer of a loan, with the clause that the striker would be a regular and first-choice. The player himself favours staying in London with QPR, though, but match time would be more uncertain.
Town boss Terry Skiverton is keen to build a strong working relationship with Liam Brady, with a positive start coming with the loan of Luke Ayling for the final months of last season. Ayling has now made the move permanent after his contract expired.
A deal is expected to be concluded shortly, with both interested club’s keen for a deal to be done quickly ahead of pre-season.
With thanks to regular reader ‘GoonerWright7’
Ligue 1 outfit FC Lorient are in counter talks with Arsenal over a season-long-loan deal for versatile midfielder Francis Coquelin. The Gunners are currently preparing a second offer for Les Merlus’ centre back Laurent Koscielny, although the two deals are not connected.
Coach Christian Gourcuff has already drawn up a short list of potential recruits for next season, and Coquelin is his prime target. Gourcuff believes both parties would benefit from a year of top flight football before a return to North London to continue his career. When quizzed by respected sports radio station RMC, the player himself confirmed the prospect of a return to his home land;
“It (the talks) have happened, it is true. There have been discussions between the two clubs but for the moment they have not agreed on anything. I will not be against a return in France, but I have to make sure it would be a club where I am certain to get game time”
Francis joined Arsenal from Stade Lavallois two summers ago, and despite a rapid development, the surprise emergence of Craig Eastmond has limited first-team minutes. Arsène Wenger has been attempting to mould the all action youngster into a right back, with a run in the FA Cup team combined with week-in-week-out fixtures for the Reserves. Wenger is yet to be assured that the switch from holding midfield to full back can be a prosperous one, so a loan appears to be a natural solution.
Championship sides Sheffield United and Reading have also held tentative interest in Coquelin.
Martin Angha has now returned to his native Switzerland for the summer, but he was still in action this week, this time captaining the Swiss Under 16’s to a 4-0 victory over Finland.
Angha not only impressed by claiming a clean sheet, but he also weighed in with two extraordinary goals. The powerful centre back came forward from the back with the ball twice to great effect, slamming home twice from all of 30 yards. He also claimed the Man of the Match award.
Thomas Cruise was surprisingly the only England player selected by Noel Blake for England’s qualification round for the UEFA European Under 19 Championship. A 1-1 draw with Ukraine sealed their place in the competitive for the third consecutive year. Cruise has been a regular for Blake, but he’s often operated as a left winger, rather than his preferred left back position.
Elsewhere, Benik Afobe was indirectly noted by UEFA as one of their regular “top 10 stars to watch”. Although not included in the list, his performances alongside Connor Wickham earned them both a mention. You can view the complete list here.
England Under 17’s have won the UEFA Under 17 European Championship Finals after beating Spain 2-1 in the Final. The Spanish National team were in town to watch the fixture, including Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. John Peacock’s side had to do it the hard way, coming from behind before Connor Wickham scored the second half winner. Afobe again started on the wing and turned in a selfless and defensive performance.
The fixture kicked off in perfect conditions in Liechtenstein and both teams were keen for a positive start. Gerard cut in from the right and smashed an effort at Jack Butland in a frantic early start. Connor Wickham hit back with a chance of his own, but he failed to convert after being through with the goalkeeper by Ross Barkley.
In the 22nd minute, Gerard’s influence tolled as he skipped inside from the left and after looking for a ball to Paco, Andre Wisdom turned it into his own net for 1-0. It was a bitter blow but it got England out of the traps and the lead lasted just 8 minutes. Afobe exploded inside and linked up with Wickham, Benik was expecting the return but it went behind for a corner. The resulting set piece was crashed home by Wisdom for 1-1.
Wickham had two excellent chances to put Peacock’s side in front at the break, but wasted them both. All even at half time.
Peacock seemed relaxed as the Young Lions came out for the second half. He had right to be. Within 90 seconds of the restart, the come back was completed. Wickham cut inside two players from the left and after composing himself, he stroked the ball into the corner.
Afobe was involved tracking back and defending in the closing stages, he drew a selection of fouls after helping out in the final third. In the 81st minute, he was replaced with West Ham’s Rob Hall coming on. Spain battled and dominated but England kept going and managed to see the job out.
The final whistle went after a late rally, giving England the trophy and all the glory after an amazing final.
Wojciech Szczęsny will be Arsenal’s number one goalkeeper in the future, according to Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger. The Poland international has completed his spell with League One Brentford, and will now go into contention for the number one jersey in pre-season.
Szczęsny won critical acclaim during his spell with the Brentford, in which his arrival coincided with some unbelievable form. A selection of saves, including penalty stops cemented his reputation as not only one of the best goalkeepers the Bees had ever had, but it added substance to the quote from Wenger that “with Wojciech, when you think it’s a goal, it’s still not a goal”.
The video below documents exactly why the 20-year-old is so highly rated and features most of his saves whilst in League One. Some of them have to seen to be believed.