The kid is 14 , and he is training permanently with the u18s. We all need to relax. Chido's case is sooo unique, because to be honest at age 16 there's only so much you can demand the club to give you, especially with a pathway as clear as his;. We forget these people are very young , and most would prefer to actually stay in their locality during their teens. Ethan's people were really pushing him out , because Chelsea had offered better incentives to the family eg jobs but he didn't want to leave to West London as he's been at the club since age 6.
Dowman is really Ødegaard-esque with some of those touches. Main thing is for him to keep his feet on the ground and focusing on getting better as a player.
I feel he's quite unique tbh. There are shades of Özil in there with the way he just ghosts past people. I think like with Nwaneri they need to measure the way he is challenged. He is obviously already a star at u18 level after half a season but they don't need to move him up too quickly yet. With Per at the helm I do trust Arsenal to manage the welfare of the youngsters amidst the growing hype. That's probably an area I'd say we are strong.
Nah I think you keep him at u18 at least 18 -24 months so he can physically grow in peace. Also I don’t believe young players need constant challenge and always struggle. I was never fan of when we used to have the youngest U18 but get constantly dominated by older players. Sometimes being dominant for a period and winning is better for development
I don't think he should be promoted yet either, but it's gonna get real easy for him very quickly.
He is a midfielder. So his dominance won’t show on paper like Obi. I also doubt he is Ode level at his age. This is Ode at 15 in norways top league. I don’t think I ever seen 15 year old like this
I mostly agree but with respect, Dowman's already megging grown men at 14, so it's not that much of a stretch. We'll have to see how it goes - and again I don't think Dowman should be promoted yet but as I said it's gonna get super easy for him. He was already dominating U18 matches last season as an U14.
We missed out on McAidoo and Nguhoma - the two main players we seemed to target for the academy. So far, we've signed Ceadach O'Neill as a scholar.
I think the way it was phrased raised expectations but I think what the academy is trying to avoid is stockpiling 'average' talents judging by how many they've let go . So, if they miss out on McAidoo and Ngumoha they'll just make do with what they have. It might be a transitional season especially in u21s as I see a lot of u18s playing up, and the domino effect in lower age groups.
I reckon they will loan him to a championship side. Might be a good replacement for Hull's Jaden Philogene who signed for Villa.
Same as Hutchinson and Chelsea - and probably with the same sort of outcome. Loan then sale. Omari, Amario and Chido all turning down contracts to go to clubs where they end up far lower down the pecking order.
Particualrly as its supposed to be a sizeable sell on. If he does well, all parties benefitNorton-Cuffy joins Genoa in permanent transfer
Brooke Norton-Cuffy has joined the Serie A side having made over 100 senior appearances out on loanwww.arsenal.com
This is good. Well done Brooke.
We're actually starting to churn out good players that have the chance to compete in other top leagues. 3.5m fee for us and earning himself a move to a prestigious Serie A club at 20 is a good story.
I would say we are getting there slowly. Smith Rowe and Nketiah are EPL level players and will do well. We need to keep producing players of this standard as Man City are producing and nurturing players who can easily walk into EFL Teams and some EPL teams too.
