The Arsenal academy have had a positive week so far, as they prepare for their opening UEFA Youth League fixture on Wednesday.
The top Arsenal academy teams were only in action once last week, with the u18s facing Southampton whilst the u21s had the weekend off.
It was a positive outing for the youngsters, with Maalik Hashi scoring in a 1-0 result to earn the u18s their first league win of the new campaign.
There’s a bit of uncertainty around the team at the moment, particularly with the head coach job. Josh Smith is in charge of the side as it stands, but Arsenal have bounced back and forth between referring to him as an ‘interim‘ head coach, and simply as an ‘under-18s coach’.
Adam Birchall was the team’s previous head coach, and it’s unclear whether or not he’s left the club. In the circumstances, it was good to see the team focusing on their football and picking up three points.
In further positive news, Angelinou Pedro has signed professional terms with Arsenal. Pedro only recently had his scholarship deal confirmed, but having turned 17, he was eligible to upgrade it to full pro terms.
“It’s the best [birthday],” Angelinou said. “It’s a massive moment for me and my family. It’s taken a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get to this point, but I’m just proud because it makes the contract a more special feeling, it’s another milestone.”
On top of that, Mylo Bernard has officially joined the club from Crystal Palace, signing an initial scholarship deal with an agreement to upgrade it to a professional contract when he turns 17.
Having scored 40 goals last season, Bernard should add some attacking threat to the Arsenal u18s this campaign.
Looking ahead, the Arsenal u19s will be in action in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday, with the Youth League fixtures mirroring the first-team matches up until the end of Matchday 6. The u19s always play earlier in the day, and they’ll kick off at 13:00 BST.
Ahead of that game, Marcell Washington and Marli Salmon have been among the youth players training with the Arsenal first team. Washington remains ineligible for Champions League matches, having joined from Chelsea less than two years ago.
You can only make a club’s B-list if you are both young enough and have also been at the club for two years, otherwise you must be named as a senior player. Washington hasn’t been named as a senior player, so he can’t play in the Champions League for Arsenal yet.
By contrast, Salmon is eligible. It remains to be seen whether he joins the senior side or the u19s in Naples.
After Arsenal’s Youth League opener, the u18s will face Crystal Palace in a league game on Saturday at 11:00 BST, with Bernard having the chance to debut against his old club.
Then the u21s will play later in the day against Chelsea at 14:00, with the Gunners looking for their first win of the season.
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