Does Theo Walcott's New Contract ends the Saga?

Arsenal's longest serving player Theo Walcott finally signed a four year contract extension on Friday reportedly worth £140,000 a week.

However, his signing of a new contract should have put an end to this long drawn contract saga. Yet many of the Arsenal faithful are not convinced by the new wages that the new deal comes with.

The history of the player and how he has handled his contract negotiations with the club in the past means many are not convinced that he is worthy of the new wages. Many would have no qualms with players like Alexis Sanchez being on such a contract, because of his work rate and ability on the football pitch. But several Gunners have been left frustrated by a Theo Walcott who strolls most times on the pitch, neglecting his defensive duties, a player whose contribution to the club's famed combination play is also on the low side. And his pass completion rate not different either. While his attempted passes makes for grim reading also.

However, his present shortcomings as a player is something he can truly work on as his last injury seem to exacerbate whatever shortcomings there is to his game. Least it forgotten, it was when he was trying to make a tackle on Danny Rose in the FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in January, 2014 that he sustained his cruciate ligament injury. The Walcott that led the line on that fate day certainly did not shrink from his defensive responsibilities. And it remains one of his best performance as a striker despite not scoring, but for his all round play.

The 26 year old has essentially been known as a speed merchant, and over the years at Arsenal, he has honed and perfected his skills of being adept at making intelligent movement off the ball that has yielded huge amount of goals. An attribute Arsene Wenger has pointed out as being one of his best.

While the misgivings about the terms of this latest contract are tied down to both his on and off pitch persona in recent times, because of the way he has proved to be difficult player to deal with when it gets to a contract extension as well as the fact that he has not matched his wages consistently on the field of play because of his injury record. It still holds much to the fact that apart from his goals, he does not do enough to help the team on the defensive side, something many Arsenal fans would want to change as he enters a pivotal time in his stay at the club.

While criticism have continued to be aimed at the player for his shortcomings and link up play with other players, his natural shortcomings as a player with limited technical ability, does not mean that he cannot help in defence. As much as he has been criticised for his lack of defensive awareness, the manager still has a responsibility to remind him of his defensive responsibility as a player to aid the team’s cause.

The Saints youth product has developed skills for getting huge contracts despite his limited football ability, the onus is on Arsene Wenger to also develop a specific skill tailored for Theo Walcott that his responsibility does not end at scoring goals, but he should also defend when the team is without the ball. 

This new contract means there would be intense scrutiny of how he performs in the coming season. And despite the fact that he is one of the most clinical finishers at Arsenal, a lot would depend on the position Arsene Wenger would field him in the coming season.

Already in the matches in pre-season, he has featured as a striker, which is a continuation of where he stopped last season against West Brom in the Premier League and Aston Villa in the FA Cup. 

His limitations as an out-an-out striker was reflected by the fact that his goal in the FA Cup final came when Arsene Wenger moved him to the left and Alexis Sanchez was moved to the centre.

He might be clinical in front of goal, yet his lack of tenacity and physicality means he would always struggle as a striker.

Although, the new contract should have been greeted with ecstasy, the announcement quickly turned into indifference as a result of the terms. But would those terms be remembered as not deserved if his goals become key to Arsenal achieving something great in the coming season?  Many would be quick to say he has repaid the fans and the club.

As a result of the scrutiny he is expected to go through this season where he would repeatedly be reminded of his huge contract whenever he performs poorly, this saga would run for sometime mainly in the sub conscious.

The main contract saga ended on Friday with a new contract extension, but attention shifts to how he replicates the new deal on the pitch. And that would be the new saga not between him and the club, but between him and the fans.

Walcott and Cazorla Signs New Contracts

Arsenal on Friday announced that Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla have signed new deals at the club. Theo Walcott has signed a four year extension to his current deal.

The 26 year old is currently Arsenal's longest serving player having arrived at the club in January 2006, making over 300 appearances with 76 goals to his name.

After what has developed into something akin to a contract saga his signing of a new contract will come as a boost to the club ahead of the new season.

While Theo Walcott's new contract will be well received by the Gunners faithful, it is Santi Cazorla's announcement that would have come as a surprise. Like Walcott, the ambidextrous Spaniard was entering the final year of his contract, and he has been linked several times to a return to Spain with Altetico Madrid a possible destination.

The 30 year old arrived at Arsenal in 2012 from Malaga. And after reinventing himself as a deep lying midfielder last season alongside Francis Coquelin, he would now be looking to build on what was a huge season on a personal level.

What this means to Arsenal?

For several years, Arsenal have struggled to keep the core of its players. With key players like Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Gael Clichy jumping ship in search of silverware in the last couple of years, but with the change in the financial landscape at the club, Arsene Wenger can now easily grant contract extensions to players while readily offering them terms that would suit their status vis-à-vis what they have offered the club. Besides that, the club can now win silverware evidenced by two consecutive FA Cup triumphs.

Also players like Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Francis Coquelin and Oliver Giroud are just a few who have signed new contract extension in the last couple of seasons.

The club can now pursue a sustained policy of stability by building on what has been achieved off the pitch, on the pitch. With the current squad, the team is primed to put together a sustained title challenge.

Santi Cazorla has consistently proved himself since he arrived at the club in 2012. Whereas, Theo Walcott's time at the club has been blighted several times by injury, his last contract extension signed in January 2013 did not benefit the club, as he spent much of the time injured. He only returned fully into the squad in the second half of last season. With this new contract taking him well into his 29th birthday, the onus is now on him to prove his true worth to Arsenal by first staying fit, and secondly by scoring goals. Many would also want to see a Theo Walcott that will add some defensive side to his game by working hard for the team's cause when he is played on the wing.

With most of his appearance in pre-season coming as an out-out striker, it would be interesting to see whether Arsene Wenger sticks with that formula during the course of the coming season, especially with its attendant risks against certain opponents.

In the end, it is a win-win situation for Arsenal as they have successfully secured the future of two key players. Santi Cazorla would now be expected to play well into thirties at the club presumably in his new found deep midfield position.

For Arsene Wenger, and Arsenal it is boost for the new season.

EPL high Spenders: Jose Mourinho's Paradox

The new season of the English Premier League starts on August 8 and ahead of the opener is the curtain raiser between Arsenal and Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday.

However, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has started his mind games ahead of the new season. The Portuguese had earlier claimed that the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool were trying to buy the title with their spending spree. No sooner had the dust settled on that comment, that he added Arsenal to that list. Claiming that the notion that Arsene Wenger does not spend is untrue and requested that a calculator be used to show the amount Arsenal have spent in the last three years. He was quick to mention the monies spent in signing Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy, and most recently Petr Cech.

That Arsenal have spent in excess of £100 million in transfers since 2013 is not in dispute, but what has led to the financial shackles to be lifted is what many of hypocritical linings have failed to acknowledged.

The North Londoners only recently regained their spending touch after years of penny pinching; whereas, Chelsea have been high spenders for the last decade.

The Chelsea manager is obviously uncomfortable with how the financial landscape has changed. Previously, he was the only manager that could afford to spend big on any player during his first spell in England, when Chelsea gleefully distorted the transfer market with huge transfer fees and wages. Since the Oligarch, Roman Abramovich became Chelsea's owner in 2003; the club has spent over £900 million in transfer fees. Fees that even a calculator would find difficult to collate.

Jose Mourinho has a philosophy of been a manager that spends big on players wherever he has managed. And he does not stop at throwing his tramps anytime there is a lack of spending as reported by sections of the media a couple of weeks ago.

While Arsenal were hindered by a Stadium move for a decade which resulted in financial austerity a situation that was best reflected in the club's inability to raise two million pounds to sign Robin van Persie in January 2004, which meant he had to wait for another six months before he was signed.

Arsene Wenger was a willing spender during his early years as Arsenal manager. He signed the likes of Robert Pires, Jen Lehmann, Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord, Gilberto Silva and Edu. Henry and Wiltord arrived with a combined fee of £22 million in 1999 and 2001.

However, the austerity years meant Arsene Wenger had to call on his developmental attributes to bring through young players while Chelsea were spending large sums on the likes of William Carvalho, Ferreira, Micheal Essien, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Mateza Kezma, Didier Drogba, Damian Duff, Scott Parker and Arjen Robben.

Mourinho signed both the players he needed and those he did not need as he spent unreservedly with no restriction in place.

Even in the absence of Jose Mourinho as Chelsea's manager, the club still maintained their huge spending as reflected by the combined £74 million to sign Fernando Torres and David Luiz in January 2011, with the former accounting for £50 million.

The restrictions imposed by UEFA's Financial Fair play (FFP) rule and the English FA's homegrown quota has not stopped Chelsea from being high spenders. The only difference is that they now sell before buying, by dispatching players they do not need on huge transfer fees, players they initially bought with a high price.

Signed---------------Sold (£)

David Luiz----24m/48m

Romelu Lukaku--18m/28m

Andre Schurrle--18m/25m

Kevin De Bruyne--14m/26m

Ironically it is the strategy that Arsene Wenger used for several years when he signed players for small amounts, but sold them on huge profits, like Nicolas Anelka that was signed for £500,000 but sold for £22 million in 1999 after two years.

The only difference here is that Chelsea signs and sells on huge transfer fees.

Jose Mourinho will not miss any opportunity to get at a rival, and for several months he has aimed jibes Arsenal's way, apparently, he feels Arsenal could be closest to any team to challenge Chelsea to the title in the coming season.

When a manager regularly talks of a rival, it is an acknowledgment of the fact that such a rival is a threat.

The spending talk is a way to put pressure on his rivals while diverting attention from the lack of spending at Stamford Bridge to date. A situation, if it does not change before the transfer window closes, would become a regular reference point Jose Mourinho would use throughout the coming season.

In the end, there is actually no club that does not spend, but some are high spenders than others. And Chelsea bears the touch as one of the highest spender's with their activity over the last decade.

Air Coquelin And Bellerin Airways: How Will Their Flight Be This Season?

                                    

Expectation is always wrapped in hope, and hope they say springs
eternal. Yet expectation does not always come to the fore when there
is little or nothing to anchor hope on. Although, there are moments
you do not have to anchor hope on anything, but hope can sometimes be
against hope.
The latter description was the situation Francis Coquelin and Hector
Bellerin found themselves in last season. At the beginning of last
season's pre-season, they were peripheral figures. Coquelin had just
returned from an uneventful loan spell at bundesliga side, Frieburg.
While Bellerin was still with the U-21s. They were not in the first
team picture. But, Bellerin's participation in last year's Emirates
Cup offered a glimmer of hope.

However, both players have become pivotal figures in the Arsenal
squad. After an unexpected rebirth that was not anchored on any
expectation from those of Arsenal persuasion as few saw it coming.
Yet, after their strong showing last season, when nobody expected them
to perform as they did, this season will bring about a different
expectation altogether.

Already, Arsene Wenger has been quick to mention the fact that both of
them will have to maintain the consistency they showed last season as
they deal with a new expectation. The
Frenchman was particularly weary about the second second syndrome that
has become prevalent with players after a good season previously.
While Francis Coqueln can easily lay claim to the defensive midfield
position without much fuss in the first team due to his performance
last season, and
the fact that Mikel Arteta is not expected to play much this season,
the same cannot be said of Hector Bellerin, who will have to keep up
his remarkable consistency because of the presence of Mathieu Debuchy.
Arsene Wenger had pointed out that the 29 year old being an
experienced France international, will definitely give the younger
Bellerin some stern competition.

The experience of Debuchy cannot be overlooked despite the strong
showing of Bellerin in that position. The former Lille defender has
more to his game defensively with his aerial prowess, and the fact
that he does not rush into tackles in the penalty box, something that
Bellerin did several times last season.
With his performance in last weekend's Baclarys Asia Trophy against
Everton in Singapore, he looks primed to kick on from where he stopped
last season.
Without doubt he has come a long way after the baptism of fire at the
Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund last September, where he looked lost in
a Champions League group match. Arsene Wenger might decide to rotate
both him and Debuchy for that position. However, with Wenger's
fondness for stability, he might decide to stick with one of them for
most of the games this season.

The competition this would provide
should be a catalyst for Hector Bellerin to add more to his game,
because as young player, who is still learning his trade, he has more
capacity to improve the grey areas in his game.
The situation with Francis Coquelin is quite different from Hector
Bellerin. Coquelin though the most defensive of Arsenal's midfielders,
still has something in his game he needs to iron out. His ability to
retain possession when pressed by the opposition being one, his
passing accuracy and long balls being the other. While his non
existent attacking contribution when the team is chasing a game as
noticed by the fact that he was a target for substitution when Arsene
Wenger needed another attacking player to join the fray. That alone
means he would always be the fall guy if he does not add something
extra to his game as a defensive midfielder.
The modern day defensive midfielder does not stop at protecting the
back four, they are also to intiate attacks and keep hold of the ball.

This is where Mikel Arteta's role remains a key part of the team's
midfield evolution despite his age and lack of pace.
With Mathieu Flamini continually being linked with a move to Turkey,
it leaves a space in midfield. Little wonder, Spanish daily, Mundo
Deportivo, ran with a story on Wednesday that Barcelona defensive
midfielder, Sergi Samper is interesting Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman
had wanted to sign him with Hector Bellerin and Jon Toral in 2011.
Looking at his style of football, he could be said to be a younger
version of Mikel Arteta, schooled in the La Masia art of being adept
in possession.
Yet, Francis Coquelin will have an head start in midfield this season,
despite that short coming of his on the ball, he showed his ability on
it in the FA Cup final in May when there was space to exploit. It is
when there is none that is where the issues lies.

For Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin, it is a new expectation in
the coming season, and new expectation requires consistency in the
midst of competition. How they cope with that remains to be seen.

Photo Credit: Arsenal

Di Maria: An Angel on Paris Wings

                                                          

                                                             

Argentine winger Angel di Maria is on the brink of joining French champions Paris Saint Germain just one year after a record British record transfer of 59.7 million pounds saw him move from Los blancos to Manchester United. The former Real Madrid winger is expected to move to the French capital for a fee of around 45 million pounds. This means that the Old Trafford outfit is ready to suffer a loss in his sale.

There have been reports that he is unsettled in Manchester and wants a move.

However, could the move holds much to the ruthlessness of Louis van Gaal who might feel that he does not have the mentality to play for the club after he suffered a loss of form.  Yet the Argentine showed his true form in his first three months in England before his struggles began.

However, for a player with his ability, one season is certainly very short to judge what he could have offered the club. The 27 year old did not set la liga alight in his first season when he first arrived from Benfica to join Real Madrid, but he later settled in to be a key component of the Real Madrid squad, including being a catalyst in Madrid winning la decimal in 2014.

Following the fact he did not feature much for Manchester United in the second half of last season, it is difficult to conclude whether his departure weakens the Mancunians or not.

Louis van Gaal has shown little patience in dispatching players he apparently feels no longer fit what he requires. Robin van Persie has since left with Nani to Fernerbache and some others could follow before the transfer window closes. Javier Hernandez should have been sold by now if not for his collarbone injury.

In all, it is the departure of Angel di Maria that would raise several questions.

He has not become suddenly bad overnight. Despite ending his first and likely only season in England in an underwhelming manner. He still was one of the bright spots in the Argentine squad in the Copa America.

So what could have gone wrong?

In football circles, even world class players need to feel wanted and loved by their manager and club for them to produce their best performance. The man-management skill of Louis van Gaal has to be questioned here. The Dutchman’s brutish style does not fit most of his players. The former Ajax stalwart is always quick to criticize and attack his players publicly and his bluntness sometimes makes him sound more like a football pundit rather than a manager handling players.

Although, he remains one of the most successful managers in European club football, his brusque manner could really unsettle players with a mental fragility which could have a negative effect on their form. All football players are first humans before being a player even with their huge wages. And anything outside football could affect their form.

Angel di Maria arrived in a new country without pre-season, a long and draining world cup campaign, without a winter break and with having to learn a new language in order to communicate properly, so it was bound to be difficult in his first season even if he had a good start initially.

The nature of Manchester weather can also not be thrown at the winger because just across town at the Etihad, fellow Argentines Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis have been in Manchester for a couple of years, which means with more time, he could have been more at home to find his best form at Old Trafford.

With the right management skills, Manchester United could have gotten more from Di Maria. Now that he is on his way to PSG, it is the Parisians who would enjoy his peak years. And settling down in Paris should not be much of a problem with several South America players from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in the squad.

In the end, only time would tell whether it was the right decision for the Theatre of Dreams outfit to dispatch him after just one season.

Photo Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

Between Jose Mourinho and the Champion’s Garment: An Improvement Conundrum

When a club wins the Premier League title as Chelsea did last season for the fourth time in the Premier League era, defending the title becomes more of a task than winning the first title. As Manchester City would attest to, because the Citizens have failed both times that they have been defending champions.

Besides that, trying to improve a squad that was crowned champions the previous season is always a task that is difficult to embark on. 

Jose Mourinho’s said during Chelsea’s post season tour of Australia in June that his present squad was the best and needs little improvement. The self styled special one opined that few players were better than Branisav Ivanovic, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa in their positions.

With that champion’s garment comes a price of trying to improve such a team. Already that price is already being paid if it could be said along those lines. A summer of quiet transfer activities at the Bridge seems to be the consequence of that. So far, Radamel Falcao has been secured on a season long loan, while Amir Begovic was signed from Stoke as a direct replacement for Petr Cech who joined Arsenal to seek more first team football.

The signings Chelsea has made are more or less back ups rather than first team players. The question is always how does a manager improve a team with little or no weakness?

Jose Mourinho’s first spell as Chelsea’s manager saw the capture of a certain Micheal Essien from Lyon for a fee of £24 million in his second season. The former Ghanaian international hit the ground running when he made his debut against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. He came to improve a team that was already very strong, with Claude Makalele and Frank Lampard in midfield. It was not a surprise that Chelsea defended their title comfortably in the 2005/2006 season. Besides the signing of Essien from ligue 1 that summer, Shaun Wright-Phillips was signed from Manchester City for a fee of £21 million. But the England winger was a peripheral figure in West London that season, and later on in his Chelsea career.

Roman Abramovich’s early years as Chelsea’s owner was laced with unrestricted sending power, the Oligarch seldom held back the purse strings as Chelsea spent hugely to bring in players whether those players would bring direct improvement or not. With the squad restrictions due to the English FA home grown quota, it is becoming difficult for clubs to stock their squad with whoever they want.

At the time, Chelsea could easily snap up every available world class player they wanted as the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain had not been bought over by Middle Eastern dollars.

However, over the years, the financial landscape has changed, with Chelsea now adopting a more pragmatic approach to dealings in the transfer market. With the coming of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rule (FFP), Chelsea have adopted a policy of selling before buying in order to avoid breaching any of the FFP rules. It is no wonder that the sales of Romelu Lukaku and David Luiz for a combined fee of close to £70 million to Everton and PSG respectively funded the signings of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa for a combined fee of £60 million. And that was the main business of last summer, with Loic Remy signed for £8 million. In the January transfer window, the sale of Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg was used to upset the signing of Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina.

Also the £11 million Chelsea received from Arsenal for the signing of Petr Cech, £8 million was used to sign a replacement in Amir Begovic.

With these restrictions, it means Chelsea have now had to sell before they can buy, as Roman Abramovich seem to have decided to hold back the purse string and allow the club to run as a business. This means that Jose Mourinho now have to adjust his appetite for signings to the new policy of the club. However, the quiet summer at the Bridge seem to be unsettling the Portuguese; with reports that he is concerned about the club’s lack of spending.

It is the effect of the champions’ garment that he has to put up with, which the hierarchy at Chelsea has decided to adopt. While Jose Mourinho would love for the club to bring in additional signings this summer which could still happen as long as the transfer window is open, he will also be quick to point to the fact that few or no player can improve what he currently has at his disposal.

While the crave for signings to add a renewed motivation to a squad that will be defending their title in the coming season will continue so long as transfer window remains open, it should be remembered that Juan Cuadrado featured sparingly in his first six months at the Bridge, and Brazilian midfielder Oscar did not get a full complement of matches last season following the arrival of Cesc Fabregas, and a rejig of tactics by Jose Mourinho in the second half of the season when the Portuguese decided to push Fabregas forward while Ramires started alongside Matic in midfield.

Chelsea will be keen to get adequate back up to the established first team players. With Didier Drogba’s departure, Radamel Falcao has been signed as a replacement, even though the Colombian striker would have to recapture his scoring touch.

With the likelihood that there won’t be a signing that could upstage any of the established first team players in Mourinho’s eleven, the present emphasis could be keeping the players fit. Chelsea had the fewest number of injuries last season, a situation that aided their unchallenged match to the title.

Still, few within the Chelsea ranks would have expected John Terry to play the 38 league matches last season. With the captain now 35, he is not getting any younger, and with his age there is no guarantee that he can stay fit throughout the season like he did last season. Although, Kurt Zouma showed last season that he could be an able replacement alongside either Terry or Gary Cahill.

Although Jose Mourinho would love to make some big money signings to add verve to his squad, the official line from the Bridge is clearly a shift in policy in the way it conduct it business in the transfer market.

Despite the improvement conundrum that the champions garment has bestowed on Chelsea, they remain the team to beat in the coming season.

Emerging Trump Cards at the Emirates

                                                          

Alex Iwobi, Photo Credit: Getty Image/ Arsenal

Arsenal's pre-season has gone really well with the Barclays Asia Trophy secured in Singapore after wins over a Singapore select IX and fellow English Premiership side Everton.

The Emirates Cup over the weekend afforded the club's fans to see the players at close quarters. It also provided an opportunity to see some of the club's youngsters. Arsenal eventually ran out winners against Lyon and Wolfsburg to win the trophy for the first time in five years.

With the curtain raiser for the league season against Chelsea coming up next Sunday, the question on the lips of many of Arsenal persuasion is who could be the Hector Bellerin of the coming season amongst the young players that trot their stuff over the weekend?

For starters, going down memory lane, Hector Bellerin emerged as a right back option for Arsene Wenger after his strong showing in last year's Emirates Cup against Benfica.

The Emirates Cup this season saw the likes of Hale academy graduates Alex Iwobi, Chuba Akpom and Isaac Hayden feature in the matches. But it was new signing from Lens Jeff Reine-Adelaide that stole most of the show. The 17 year old midfielder had a solid cameo against Lyon and had an even better display against Wolfsburg when he provided the assist for the only goal.

The French lad and Alex Iwobi played from the left wing in their appearances. What this meant was that Arsene Wenger was auditioning possible options in the left wing in the absence of Alexis Sanchez who is having an extended break after the Copa America. That both players eventually produced stellar displays only increased their chances of playing in the domestic cup competitions especially the Capital One Cup.

Alex Iwobi forged a huge reputation for himself last season with the U21s; scoring as much as 10 goals. And combining both his physical attributes and skill set to good effect. At 19 years, and with his display in pre-season after featuring for the first team for the first time, he could be in for more appearances.

Jeff Reine-Adelaide on the other hand is a new kid on the block. The 17 year old was signed in May from French side Lens along with Yassin Fortune for three million pounds. Despite his performance, he could make do with playing for the U21s as well as training with the first team; a point Arsene Wenger alluded to.

The situation of Chuba Akpom and Isaac Hayden is not different. Akpom featured for the first team last season and showed his huge potential. His hat trick at the Barclays Asia Tourney in Singapore showed that he needs a break or two to finally score for the first team in a competitive fixture. Although he still has to work on his decision making especially when to release the ball to players that are better placed and when to shot.

However it was the substitute appearance and performance of Isaac Hayden that went largely unnoticed. The midfielder who can also play as a defender has been plagued by ankle injuries for almost a year after his solid performance in defence against Southampton in the Capital One Cup defeat last season.

That he played in the defensive midfield position in his appearance at the Emirates Cup could be a pointer as to where Arsene Wenger is looking to deploy him in the long term when the opportunity arises.

A vital point to highlight concerning the young players that played over the weekend is that, physically they are ready as Arsene Wenger would say. Looking at Alex Iwobi, Isaac Hayden, Chuba Akpom and Jeff Reine-Adelaide and their physical attributes means they will not have an issue dealing with the physicality of domestic football.

Football holds much to opportunity and chance. The absence of Tomas Rosicky, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Mathieu Flamini certainly aided the cause of the quartet to feature at the Emirates tournament.

Like Hector Bellerin before them, it would take a huge injury crisis for any of these players that were one of the bright spots of this year's Emirates Cup tourney to feature for the first team in the coming season. A loan spell later in the season could be an opportunity for them to develop. But since Arsene Wenger had said that they will not be sent on loan, it remains to be seen what the first half of the coming season holds for them.

In the end, while Arsenal basks in the euphoria of winning another pre-season tourney, it is one of the purpose of it which includes allowing youngsters to show case their potential that has been one of the highlights of the 2015 competition. And it’s a case of waiting to see where they go from here.