The acquisitions of Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin from Barcelona in the summer garnered much publicity, but another player who arrived in the close season could soon be generating headlines in his own right.
Serge Gnabry’s move from Stuttgart was relatively under the radar, but the effervescent young German has made an outstanding start to his fledgling Arsenal career.
Aged just 16, he scored on his debut for the Reserves against Boreham Wood in pre-season with a bullet header and, after a brief paperwork delay, transferred that goalscoring knack onto the under-18 stage, where he has found the net four times in just five appearances.
Gnabry, a dynamic winger who can operate on either flank and has also played behind the striker, was rewarded for his progress with his first start for the Reserves against Aston Villa last week and certainly didn’t look out of place as he provided Arsenal’s most prominent attacking threat in the 2-0 defeat.
Should he continue his rapid progress, the German youth international could become a Reserve regular by the end of the campaign, whilst he is also expected to be involved in some capacity in the FA Youth Cup tie with Derby next week.
There are, of course, parts of his game that need working on, such as his occasional neglect of his defensive duties and a tendency to over-play on occasions, but Gnabry, at present, is an intriguing raw talent, who blends pace, power and skill with gritty determination.
He will probably have to wait until at least 2013 before he makes his Carling Cup bow, but the early signs are very promising indeed.
The more I read these things the more I believe Arsenal has got the brightest future in the whole footballing world. Then again I’m probably just too optimistic. Even if people hyped Rhys Murphy or Sanchez Watt and they’ve performed brilliantly at both U18’s and Reserve level, it doesn’t mean a step up to the first-team is going to be inevitable. I just hope all these youngsters do come good. The signs do look promising to be honest, and I hope Benik Afobe can become a great player for us. The other thing I was thinking is the amount of… Read more »
On the subject of centre backs there is also Kyle Bartley who looks a monster at the back.
A few of those youngster will not make the grade and be sold – that’s inevitable. And I think it’s to a certain degree also the desired result What we need in the first team is exceptional talent that will take the (few) chances when they present themselves. Otherwise they’re simply not good enough, as harsh as that sounds. Quite a few of those youngsters that will not make the grade will still have enjoyed an extraordinary football education and will go on to play successfully for other Premier League teams (Traore, Larsson, anyone?). The fact that there’s so much… Read more »
great post but you can count vela only if and only if arsenal has to play in carling cup and europe AND are 4-0 up already AND you need icing on the cake chip type goal thing.
Yes, Real Sociedad needed that bicycle-kicking icing from Vela.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/golazo-carlos-vela-v-malaga/
Magic.
nice, u are trying to bring best of young guns, 7am kickoff (2 of the best arsenal blogs around) and others together at one place.
Good work..
It’s not actually Young Guns but this blog – http://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/
But thanks, I know what you mean!
Good to see that we’ve got skilled, fresh blood still coming thorough our academy! Excited about this next generation we’ve got waiting in the wings. I do love the fact that Arsenal is a club where youngsters can galvanise their skills and go on to have fruitful careers (although not always with us). This does not detract from the fact that we’re still shakey in a few areas. (I don’t mean to moan after a 4 – 0 away win). We’re amazing on our day, I’d just rest easier if we had better strength in depth. I know we’ve got… Read more »
Campbell is more or less a new signing 😛