Fascinating end to the season in sight for Arsenal’s youngsters

It promises to be the most fascinating end to the youth season for Arsenal in years, with the club still in with a chance of winning three trophies.

The U23s are top of Premier League 2 and know that victory away to West Ham United at the Olympic Stadium tonight would see them crowned champions for the first time since 1990.

Arsenal’s youngsters have played some hugely impressive football this season and they will be determined to finish the season on a high, even though it isn’t certain whether the likes of Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah will be available to face West Ham or instead be with the first-team.

Even if they aren’t successful against The Hammers, Arsenal could still win the league if other results go their way, but securing the trophy in their final game of the campaign would be an excellent way to cap off a fine year of development.

There are other trophies that are within touching distance, too. The U23s are also through to the final of the Premier League International Cup, where they will take on Porto at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal prevailed past Porto in the group stages of the competition, but on that occasion they were able to call upon the likes of Calum Chambers and Chuba Akpom.

It is still hoped, though, that Arsenal will be able to secure victory against Porto in what should be an entertaining encounter.

The other trophy that is up for grabs is the FA Youth Cup.

Arsenal made it through to the final of that competition with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Blackpool in the semi-final, second leg, and they will now take on Chelsea, who have won the last four editions of the tournament.

Overcoming Chelsea, who can call upon starlets such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, certainly won’t be an easy task and there are still some concerns about Arsenal defensively, but in an attacking sense the young Gunners are very talented and, with Emile Smith Rowe pulling the strings in midfield, they can’t be discounted.

This season has certainly been a hugely positive one for the academy, with the U18s also set to finish in second place in their league. The ultimate objective, of course, is to get players into the first-team setup but so many individuals have improved significantly this season, including the likes of Jordi Osei-Tutu, Vlad Dragomir, Zech Medley and Danny Ballard, while players such as Xavier Amaechi and Tyreece John-Jules have stepped up to the U23s with ease.

The Arsenal academy is certainly in good shape, and, although there is still much hard work to do, things are at least moving in the right direction.

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