Arsenal’s youngsters at a crossroads by Briantole
We Arsenal fans here know that a number of our youngsters are massively talented. The likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Chambers and Bellerin have all been tipped at a young age for a great future, but the outcomes are often unpredictable.
Lets kickstart with Wilshere – a very versatile player he has once been our best player. His performances have once put him in contention for team of the year and a young player of the year award. He was so good when he came on against Barcelona that he got everyone raving about him, even the rival players. So where could he end up? Well for a player of his capabilities we can safely tip him to be among the best of his generation, maybe a new Iniesta or Scholes. But his injury problems hold him back. His development has been slowed down and this might threaten to reduce him to a player of Cleverly’s calibre.
Oxlade-Chamberlain – A very talented and pacy player. He and sterling have been boasted as the England national team’s future. He has produced exceptional performances in an Arsenal shirt. Against Bayern, AC Milan, Manchester united and Chelsea he showed tremendous feats of quality and potential. But this has been a rather off season for him so far. I don’t know whether it’s because of his ego, his injury troubles, confidence, or whether he is trying too hard to make an impression. But whatever the reason I believe with proper guidance he can be put on the right track. So what does the future hold for him? His bursts of quality on a number occasions have proven he can be a special player but on his off days he has been very average. If he is on track he can turn out to be an Alexis or Bale. But on his bad part he can be like Gervinho or Andre Santos.
Chambers – Well this kid has a divided opinion among the supporters. Some say he has a great future, while others have said he was a waste of 16million. On his early days from Southampton he performed admirably well. his switch of positions from centre-back to right back didn’t deter his performances. He earned himself three England caps and was Arsenal player of the month in September. But then he had a nightmare game against Swansea and he has been benched ever since. But he has still been bright when he was given a chance to play when he was introduced on rare occasions.
But what does the future hold for him? Mertesacker and Gareth Southgate seem to be very impressed by him. If he continues to put great strides in his career he can be another Sergio Ramos. But if he lights off the candle he could be like Jones.
Hector Bellerin – Our most promising youngster and because he has come through our academy he has Arsenal blood. Arsenal supporters have made a strong prediction about his future, tipping him to be the best right back in the world. So much hustle has been put about him but do we remember Kyle Walker from Tottenham? There was a similar kind of hustle about him but look at where he has ended up being. He is not turning into the player everyone expected him to be. Recently Bellerin hasn’t been his usual exceptional self. But that is normal among players at this stage of their careers and hopefully he gets over it. His bursts in quality prove he can surpass all right-backs in history. So lets hope he doesn’t turn out to be a flop like Walker!
Which players do you think are most likely to become real stars?
Briantole