Making his sixth consecutive start on Thursday evening, Alex Iwobi’s form already seems to have made him a regular in the Arsenal side.
Joel Campbell and Theo Walcott were both used as late substitutes but had to watch the majority of the game from the bench thanks to the strong form of the Nigerian winger.
Though Iwobi hasn’t yet built on the goalscoring exploits of his first two Premier League games, nor the two assists delivered in his third, Thursday’s showing was another strong one against tough opposition.
“He is improving game after game because he is just coming in,” Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger told the press after the match.
“That is another positive from the season. He has shown quality game after game and he is surprising. His consistency is surprising because he has only played youth football and suddenly he plays at that pace.”
Though Arsenal will be eager not to burn Iwobi out, he looks likely to keep his place between now and the end of the campaign. What’s more is, he deserves to.
Theo Walcott has struggled to impress all year and Joel Campbell, bar a goal against Swansea City, hasn’t done all that much since an excellent performance at Anfield back in January. Iwobi, though, is offering a consistent threat and fits in well with the style of his teammates.
Yet to play 90 minutes, Iwobi is still being eased into the side a little despite regularly starting.
“I’m a bit cautious with him sometimes, but overall what he produces is a football player.”