It was widely expected that Miguel Azeez would be able to secure a move away from Arsenal this summer, but, with the domestic transfer window having closed, such an eventuality hasn’t materialised.
With the transfer window still open in some countries (Tim Akinola has moved to Al Bidda in Qatar, for example) it could still be possible for Azeez to make the switch elsewhere.
However, it appears that Arsenal have taken the first steps in terms of reintegrating the 20-year-old back into the club’s U21 setup.
Azeez has been training with Arsenal’s youngsters in recent days having previously mainly been involved with a group of players that were expected to leave the club.
It will be intriguing to see how prominently he features for Mehmet Ali’s team if he does start being involved again.
Azeez’s usual position is as a deep-lying midfielder, although Bradley Ibrahim has been the main option in that area of the pitch for the U21s in the early stages of the season.
Having been on the fringes of the squad for some time, Ibrahim has waited patiently for his opportunity and has shown some encouraging signs. Arsenal now face a decision over whether to bring Azeez back into the fold as a regular starter or instead use him as a substitute.
A player who gained much praise at youth level, Azeez has found the transition to senior football very difficult, with loan spells at Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Ibiza not going to plan.
Azeez will now be looking to get back playing in some capacity and provide a reminder of what he is capable of.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
There’s some talent there…A position switch required perhaps? We need to be able to sell these youngsters for good money like city does..
Things remain “as is”.
Good things come to those who wait – good luck kid, keep trying
Those list of loan clubs are a bit of a concern to me – what do Ibiza, Wigan and Portsmouth have in common? I’d there some kind of strategy to sending these kids out, or are we just searching for any loan we can get? I think we really need to get better at building relationships and choosing where to send our kids.
All the loan clubs were places where he could learn from his piers.