Arsenal have continued to show how highly they rate young Kyran Thompson in recent weeks, and he rewarded that faith with another goal on Saturday.
Arsenal spent big to secure the signature of Kyran Thompson as an u15 player, paying a fee of £1.1m to finalise the youngster’s transfer from West Ham United.
The Gunners clearly have a lot of faith in Thompson’s potential, and that’s been particularly evident over the past couple of weeks.
Only recently turning 16 and still on a schoolboy contract, Thompson’s call-up to the Arsenal u19s for last week’s UEFA Youth League game was significant. Then, this week, the youngster was involved in first-team training.
Thompson won’t be involved with the senior team against Newcastle United on Sunday, however, as he dropped back to the u18s for their game away to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Playing 79 minutes of the match and operating as a centre-forward, Thompson got on the scoresheet early in the first half with a calm left-footed finish.
The goal was Thompson’s third in two games. It’s impressive enough just to be playing regular u18 football as an u16 player, but he’s doing more than just showing up right now.
The game didn’t quite go to plan for the Arsenal u18s, with Younes Ibrahim equalising twice after Arsenal took the lead twice through Thompson and Brando Bailey-Joseph.
The final 2-2 scoreline keeps Arsenal top, but gives Chelsea a chance to leapfrog them in their game in hand.
Arsenal u18 lineup vs Brighton
Talbot, King, Onyekachukwu, Chapman, Ogunnaike, Murisa, Julienne, Hashi, Bailey-Joseph, Marciniak, Thompson
Substitutes
Frohock (for Thompson, 79), Tahou (for Hashi, 87), Stachow, Lupinski, Phillips
What’s next?
The Arsenal u18s are next in action away to Stoke City on Saturday, October 4th at 11:00 BST, but in the meantime, Thompson may be among the u18 players included in Wednesday’s u19 UEFA Youth League game against Olympiacos.