LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: Alex Iwobi of Arsenal celebrates his team's 1-0 win in the FA Community Shield match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on August 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) — (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Agent confirms Iwobi will not be taking part in Olympics

Iwobi won't be taking part in the Olympics

Jul 9, 2016

Alex Iwobi’s agent, Emeka Obasi, has confirmed that Arsenal won’t allow the forward to take part in the Rio Olympics this summer.

Arsenal were previously rumoured to be blocking the 20-year-old‘s participation in the games but now his agent has backed these up by confirming that he won’t be.

Obasi acknowledges that although it could have been a fantastic opportunity to gain experience with the Nigerian squad, Arsenal calls the shots.

“We held talks with Arsenal to see if it would be possible but, in the end, the decision has been made and we just have to move on from it,” Obasi said.

“Of course I think Alex would have gained a lot from a competition where the likes of Barcelona’s Neymar want to play in. I’m sure the standard will be high and as I said Alex was keen to go, but it’s not his decision to make.”

526571796 alex iwobi of arsenal controls the ball gettyimages — LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 30: Alex Iwobi of Arsenal controls the ball under pressure of Jonathan Howson of Norwich City during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Norwich City at The Emirates Stadium on April 30, 2016 in London, England (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

On one hand, it could have been a great experience for the forward. However, our reluctance to allow him to potentially miss out on pre-season and maybe even the opening of the new season shows that Arsene Wenger has plans for him next season.

At his age, Iwobi needs to start pushing for regular starts. Although he had a brilliant run towards the end of last season and showed real promise, there’s a long way to go and the older he gets, the harder he needs to try.