ETHAN NWANERI
Nwaneri has been hailed as an academy wonderkid and has since caught the eye of manager Mikel Arteta who has given him some minutes in preseason.
The 17-year-old impressed in the club’s win over Lyon and could be in line for even more Premier League action after making one appearance last year against West Ham.
He became the youngest player in Premier League history when he made his debut for Arsenal at just 15 years and 181 days old in the 2022-23 season which shows Arteta’s faith in the talented youngster.
Arteta has spoken on both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly, declaring: “If they continue like they are doing right now, it’s not going to have any difference whether they come from the academy or if we signed them from Argentina, Germany or Italy.”
It is incredibly hard to breakthrough the academy and make it in to the first team but Arteta seems to have immense faith in the pair who have been fantastic in preseason.
Lewis-Skelly is a midfielder by trade but has retrained as a left back and if the club want him to progress, they must clear a path for him to gain game time.
ELIAN QUESADA-THORN
An attack-minded left-back, Quesada-Thorn has struggled with injuries over the past couple of campaigns but is looking to make a comeback this season.
The 20-year-old is capable of operating in midfield which means he could be a valuable, versatile asset for Arteta.
His future has been in question for some time now but if given the chance this youngster could find himself in the first team.
JIMI GOWER
Gower’s first season with Arsenal U21s was encouraging and the midfielder proved himself to be a hard-working midfielder who made 20 appearances last season.
The 19-year-old is playing above his age range and works tirelessly to chase down his opponents in the middle and with this type of work rate he could be a future Arsenal star.
AYDEN HEAVEN
Heaven has attracted interest from German side Borussia Dortmund in recent months after impressing for the Gunners’ youth teams in recent years.
The 17-year-old is yet to sign a professional contract with the club but is likely to put pen to paper soon.
The defender who has recently been training as a defender has proven to be an excellent asset for the club so far and is a lifelong Arsenal supporter.
He was part of the Gunners’ scholarship intake in 2023, which also included young stars Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly and much like them is one to watch this season as Arteta looks to offer time to young talent.