George Lewis was a surprise arrival at Arsenal in 2020 and the winger hasn’t had much fortune since then.
Lewis impressed initially for Arsenal U23s but he struggled for consistency last season as he suffered an injury and found it difficult to command regular playing time upon his return.
This season Lewis has endured further frustration on the fitness front as he spent the first half of the campaign on the sidelines.
Lewis recently returned to action but is again set to face a major challenge as he isn’t guaranteed a place in the starting lineup.
In addition, when Arsenal deploy two players behind the striker it doesn’t especially suit Lewis, whose best qualities are as a winger.
Lewis’ aforementioned injury problems meant that he wasn’t able to go on loan as had been planned, and it now seems possible that he could be released in the summer.
At the age of 21 he is one of the older players in the U23 setup and his only involvement for the first-team came as a substitute against MK Dons in a friendly shortly after he joined.
Centre-back Jonathan Dinzeyi, who also arrived at the club as a free agent in 2020 after leaving Tottenham Hotspur, is in a similar situation to Lewis
Dinzeyi, 22, has been involved in first-team training sessions since being recalled from his unsuccessful loan spell at Carlisle United, but he doesn’t appear to have a long term future at Arsenal.
However, Tim Akinola, who was another surprise signing, has progressed well and has a chance of earning an extended stay. The midfielder is currently on loan at Dundee United.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
You can’t win them all!