One of the key ingredients of the famed Ajax Academy was ensuring that young players experienced playing in several positions and that is something that Arsenal youngster Zak Ansah, rather by necessity than by choice, has done this season.
Predominantly a centre-forward, Ansah missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, but, prior to that, had garnered a reputation as a somewhat clinical goal-getter, using his pace and trickery to devastating effect.
He started this season operating in central midfield, however, as coach Steve Bould found his under-18 squad stocked full of strikers but with few options in the centre of the park. Ansah duly obliged and, although the transition had a negative effect on his goalscoring statistics, he has scored just twice this season, he impressed, dictating play with incisive passes and breaking forward at will.
Then, upon his breakthrough into the Reserves, he found himself deployed on the right-wing, with Sanchez Watt at the time being in a prolific vein of form. Ansah struggled somewhat on the flank and also initially found it difficult to adapt to the physical nature of second-string football.
However, he was handed a start in his preferred position for the Reserves against Swansea last week and found the net with an instinctive finish.
That goal should provide him with the confidence to become a regular at that level, and the experience garnered by playing in different positions will no doubt benefit him in the long run.
A profile with no mention of this seems a bit incomplete: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A62845031
I hope that’s not true, because it’s very disappointing to read about that sort of ignorance and unprofessionalism from a player with such promise.
The content in that link seems pretty spurious to me. The person writing it was the one with a poor grasp of English, so obviously Zak looks borderline illiterate in the article.
That was just the first link I happened to pick. Type ‘Zak Ansah united’ into Google and you’ll get a few different versions of the same story.
I don’t know if it’s true (and I know he denies it) but there are several people who claim it’s true. Would be good if someone with Jeorge Bird’s insider knowledge could shed some light either way.
I spoke to his agent about it a year ago and he said that it wasn’t true.
Thank you for this, I try to watch the reserve highlights as much as I can, and this lad looks like one of the better players there. Am I right in thinking he scored against the Nike academy too? Either way, it’s good to have a versatile young player getting his opportunity to impress for our reserve team, hopefully we’ll see him get his chance in the first team squad over the next couple of seasons. From what I’ve seen, I think we will watch the integration of Yennaris, Afobe, Ansah, Ozyakup, Martinez, Toral, Bellerin and (hopefully) Eisner into the… Read more »
I take your point Snack.but sadly it is Wilshere who is home grown in that the others you mentioned have all been bought in at some point having been developed elsewhere.
Apologies Ajax, spell check on the phone threw in Snack. No offence intended.
This guy sucks. We should sell him and buy Gary Cahill.
3 day ban to yourself, Frog.
Shit! You got me.
check out the reserves game against Swansea under videos. I really thought Eisfeld looked quite promising and Gnabry as well. Impressed with those two. Ansah’s goal came as rebound from an eisfeld shot.