Will Alex Iwobi be an important player for Arsenal next season?

When Alex Iwobi burst onto the scene a couple of seasons ago, all who watched the youngster ply his trade could see that he had the potential to reach great heights at Arsenal. In fact, Iwobi was impressive to such an extent that he had won himself a regular place in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven during the latter stages of the previous campaign. But while the pressure may have gotten the better of him this time, I believe that next season could be his breakthrough season.

In terms of ability,the Nigerian international has everything it takes. With raw pace and trickery to go with good positional sense and an eye for goal, the Gunners academy product does not lack much in his game. But the one aspect of his game that has impressed me the most is his creativity on the ball. Unlike a lot of players his age, Alex has an eye for an inch-perfect through-ball, as Arsenal fans may have seen on numerous instances and his link-up play is also very good.

With the new formation allowing two players to occupy the space behind the striker, the 21-year-old may find himself with a handful of opportunities to play in that position, which is where he prefers to play. With no shortage of pace, ample creativity and great link-up play, he has everything it takes to play that role and it remains to be seen whether he can live up to the hype and once again challenge for a regular place in the Gunners starting eleven.

In order to do so, Iwobi has to improve on two aspects, the physicality of his game and consistency in performance . But considering that he is only 21 years of age, I am confident that he can improve on that front as well. Arsenal fans can only hope that the young Nigerian can make the best of his abilities and show up next season as the Gunners look to pick themselves up from the ditch that is Europa League football.

AT