On Tuesday, Arsenal’s u18s won 5-1 against Colchester United to qualify for the FA Youth Cup semi-final, but which of the youngsters could someday make the first team?
There’s no doubting that the Arsenal academy have a load of promising players coming through. We all know about the likes of Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock in the u23s, but the next level down is offering just as much excitement.
Arsene Wenger told Arsenal Player on Tuesday: “I’m convinced that in the next two or three years, Arsenal will have a lot of satisfaction on [the academy] front. I’m convinced that the way for Arsenal to come back to fight for the Premier League is to rely on a core of young player to come out of our football club.”
So which of the youngsters involved in the cup run are most likely to knock on the door of the first team?
3Xavier Amaechi
- Age: 17
- Position: Right-wing/Midfield
Amaechi joined Arsenal at the age of 12 from Fulham FC. He’s a boyhood fan of the Gunners, so he definitely has the club at heart.
He’s fast, carries the ball well and is good in 1v1 situations.
He’s also a creative player, and admitted recently that he looks up to Mesut Özil. The 17-year-old hasn’t had the chance to train with the German so far, but at the rate he’s going it won’t be long.
Amaechi’s best performance of the season so far came in Arsenal’s first match in the Youth Cup, when he scored both of the goals in a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday.
A special mention also has to go to his goal and general showing as the u18s demolished Tottenham 6-0 late last year.
2017/18 stats
- Premier League 2 (u23s): 4 appearances, 1 assist.
- U18 Premier League: 4 appearances, 4 goals.
- FA Youth Cup: 4 appearances, 3 goals, 1 assist.
- Overall: 12 appearances, 7 goals, 2 assists.