Keto proves his worth as Arsenal youngsters make progress in Youth Cup

As if there wasn’t enough Arsenal-related drama to contend with last Sunday, the following evening the club’s U18 side were involved in an enthralling encounter of their own as they eventually prevailed past Coventry City in the FA Youth Cup following a penalty shootout.

Arsenal’s hero on the night was goalkeeper Hugo Keto, who saved three penalties in the shootout to enhance his rapidly growing reputation.

The Finnish shot-stopper, who joined the Gunners prior to the start of last season, possesses excellent reflexes and, although his distribution requires some fine-tuning, is an intriguing prospect for the future.

At just 18 Keto still has much developing to do, but he is an excellent commander of his penalty area and has featured prominently for the club in the UEFA Youth League this season.

Despite his undoubted talent, Keto may have to be patient for opportunities to impress on a bigger stage, especially given that Ryan Huddart is also highly regarded by the club.

However, Keto certainly appears to be a better prospect than Matt Macey and Deyan Iliev, so he should be able to work his way up the pecking order in due course.

The victory over Coventry sent Arsenal through to the Quarter-Finals of the FA Youth Cup, where they will take on Liverpool at Emirates Stadium in what should be an entertaining tie.

Liverpool have two ex-Arsenal youngsters in their side in Ovie Ejaria and Mich’el Parker, whilst they also have several other talented players at their disposal, including forward Yan Dhanda.

Meanwhile, Arsenal U18s conclude their current set of fixtures with a trip to take on rivals Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow. This is no ordinary North London derby, however, with Frans de Kat’s side requiring a victory to secure a top four finish and a place in the upper section when the league breaks into three tiers.

Even if Arsenal don’t achieve that aim, matters can still be seen to have improved significantly from last season, when the Gunners ended up in the lowest section and eventually ended up finishing bottom of that division.

There are some talented players in the current U18 set-up, including striker Edward Nketiah, who has scored with regularity this campaign, and winger Joe Willock, the younger brother of Chris, who has stepped up his performances of late.

Greek midfielder Savvas Mourgos has also been impressive and has been rewarded with an offer of a professional contract. The youngster started slowly upon joining the club but has come into his own of late and is now a much more dominant force in matches.

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Jeorge Bird is the author of  www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com  Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird