One of the great things about Arsenal is that every year we have a whole stream of players who graduate through the ranks. We have the fringe first teamers who step up to be properly part of the main squad, while others come through and move into the Diddly Cup team.
This step up process this year gave us Denilson – now an absolute bedrock of the midfield (or hopelessly lightweight if you read the Independent) – and there are always one or two like that who move up, before we even think of buying someone like Arshavin.
This is the great benefit of the scouting policy – the reserves in so many teams are older players who are not going to get better. With these players, everything is before them.
So, having got rid of the whole first team yesterday (and what a jolly discussion followed) here’s next year’s arrivals.
VERY MUCH INTO THE FIRST TEAM SQUAD
Simpson – surviving at WBA
Ramsey – he’s in the squad anyway, but clearly will take a bigger role
Wilshere – he must start getting more opportunities – at least coming off the bench
Bischoff – his contract is up this year, but he’s looked really good in the reserves – I really hope he stays
Gibbs – clearly highly rated as he plays the Cup games, and is seemingly a fixture on the bench.
Traore – I don’t know how he has been doing on loan (anyone help here?) and there is the question of how many left backs we need. Can he or Gibbs play in another position?
Merida – he hasn’t had a chance in the first team, but he is such a player and a half, I really think he could make the move to be an occasional first team player.
Randall – he was there at the end of last season, and is captaining the reserves, so he’s either going to make it, or leave, I’d have thought.
MOVING TOWARDS THE LIMELIGHT
So, if that’s the list of those who are ready to fit straight in (and please do correct me, I always forget people, and miss reserve games which have real clues), this must be those just behind, all ready for a bit of bench warming…
- Coquelin
- Nordveit
- Barazitte
- Landsbury
- Hoyte the Younger
(C) Tony Attwood without a spot of post modern irony in sight. 2009.
How many times, Tony?
It is After Modern now. Post Modern is so last week. Get with it.
Well I looked up After Modern on the internet, and there’s no definition of it, whereas there are eighty three billion definitions of post-modern.
My thesis was full of post-modern – and I’m not handing my degree back just because I might now bit old hat.
As it were.
i’d say Traore can play as winger as well..
On Ramsey and maybe Merida and Randall; we have missed Fabregas so one of them will have to make a bigger step up. Diaby and Song have improved immensely and the chances are they can deputise for Cesc4. We also have Nasri but his future is seemingly out wide.
Traore and Gibbs are battling for the second left back slot; Gibbs is winning that battle therefore the future for Traore is wide left which given the talent we have, may see him miss out.
Simpson, Randall and Bischoff are late developers though I think the latter will amost certainly leave next season.
A step up to the Carling Cup for Jay Emmanuel Thomas?
Well said Ian, I’d plump for JET and Frimpong for the Carling Cup next year, my understanding re Traore was that he has been playing left midfield, though he has missed much of the season with a hip injury. I suspect he will be sold as we have too many ahead of him in either position.
Consolbob & Tony – suspect you mean post-postmodernism…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-postmodernism
I covered this in MY degree!
johnny Neale – I agree Frimpong looks good. He takes no prisoners when he tackles. Watch out for Wenger’s red card tally if he gets in the first team!
Jonny – really good reference to post-postmodernism. Trouble is it took me half my life to perfect the art of the ironic, so I am not sure I can find another way to write.
post-after modernism is in vogue now I hear.
Is the Ems a post-modernist stadium?
Discuss.
Yes – post modernism is to large part the knowledge that everything is borrowed or stolen from ideas that have gone before – nothing is ‘new’ anymore. In this sense Emirates will have lifted its’ archeological roots from a host of sources – in this sense everything in the arts is now postmodern apart from that which knows it is post modern and raises a knowing eyebrow to say I’m aware I am doing this but I’m doing it ironically.
My art teacher always told me that good artists borrow and great artists steal.
If we don’t expect to sell many first teamers and these lads are outgrowing the reserves shouldn’t they go out on loan to develop further? Many of these youngsters are just not prepared to make a real impact in the epl, we already have youngsters in the first team who are still ‘developing’.
My predictions for next year:
Simpson – Sold with sell-on clauses.
Randall – Same.
Bischoff – Free transfer.
Wilshere – Carling Cup, perhaps a little bit of FA-Cup and more sub-appearances. More trusted in Prem.
Ramsey – Carling Cup&FA-Cup regular + sub-appearances.
Gibbs – Same as now, he’s already acting cover for Clichy and CC/FA regular.
Merida – Carling Cup & Loan spell in Championship.
Traoré – Hardest one to call. I personally like him so I’m hoping for yet another loan spell to a Premiership side, because I don’t think he’ll even make the bench in the 1st team as a winger or left back. A spell at the cursed Birmingham FC perhaps.
I’m expecting Fabianski, Hoyte, Djourou, Song (at CB) Nordtveit, Gibbs, Barazite, Ramsey, Mérida, Traoré, Wilshere, Vela, Frimpong, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Coquelin, Bartley and Rhys Murphy to be potential CC-players for us next year. Some of them are certain starters though.
Ramsey was used a lot earlier this year but not so much at all now. He could polish his game some more.
Simpson will be our main striker in a few years, he’s got some QUICK feet and is a solid finisher.
Wilsher looks REALLY promising, but probably needs another year, we should loan him out.
Meirda looks like the next Fabregas. I think he is on loan now, he should stay another year I think.
I think Bischoff is inconsistent. He’ll probably be a free transfer.
I dunno anything about Randall, hear he gets good stuff for the England youth though
Its lansbury… not landsbury….
I heard the FA might cut the squads down to 25 per team, not good for some of the up and coming lads.