SAT on a bunk bed in the La Masia academy as a 15-year-old, Mikel Arteta gazed around at his roommates – all of them dreaming of one day playing for Barcelona.
Those teenagers, who would soon become good friends, were Pepe Reina, Victor Valdes, Andreas Iniesta, Thiago Motta and Carlos Puyol.
Only Arteta failed to realise his dream, instead heading off to France and then Scotland to kickstart his career.
Regardless, it was a room dripping with competitive edge and immense desire – something that Arteta is now referring back to with Arsenal’s latest crop of exciting academy prospects.
With injuries mounting up ahead of tonight’s dead rubber Champions League group stage finale at PSV, the Gunners boss has brought three of his brightest talents along for the ride.
Right-back Reuell Walters, 18, left-back Lino Sousa, 18, and, most notably, 16-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri – the Golden Boy who broke records and made headlines after Arteta handed him his Premier League debut last September at the age of 15 years and 181 days.
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European debuts await them, but all eyes will be on Nwaneri – who could become the youngest Arsenal player to feature competitively on the continent at 16 years and 265 days, beating Jack Wilshere’s 2008 record by 64 days.
With nothing riding on tonight’s clash in Holland, Arteta is considering creating more history, having made Nwaneri Arsenal’s youngest ever Prem player and the youngest to ever feature in the English top flight last season against Brentford.
Arteta said: “They are still really, really, really young but we want to start giving them some experience because they have the talent, hopefully to be very close to us.
“There is something about it, when they are in a meeting or you talk to them, there is that energy and their eyes are open. There is something fresh, something new.
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“I have been there so you feel a sympathy for them. Everybody wants to help them, and I really want to help them to fulfil that dream and hopefully we can achieve that.”
Speaking of his experience at Barca’s famed La Masia academy, Arteta added: “It was really difficult. The culture was very different. I was in a room with bunk beds.
“It was huge competition within that room already. We were all little brothers living with each other but the competition was fearless and that’s what made us.
“We had to compete with those players who were ready. It is always really tough to put them in the environment to see what they will need in the future.”
Arteta cannot help but smile when talking about Nwaneri – a player born after the Emirates Stadium was built in March 2007 and is scoring goals for fun in the club’s academy teams.
Criticism came the Spanish coach’s way when he chucked on the fresh-faced kid against the Bees in second half stoppage time over a year ago, but there remain no regrets – especially after recently fighting off interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United to agree in principle a first professional contract.
Arteta explained: “[Nwaneri] has something unique that I really liked from the beginning. His ability to take the ball in tight areas, escaping a bit like Jack Wilshere used to do.
“The personality he has to train with us, I love that in a player. He has got that thing between his teeth that he wants to show every day how good he is and impress people.
“When you have someone like that you have to give him hope. We really wanted to keep him and it was a strong sign that this was his place to keep developing.”
Bukayo Saka, 22 – a young star who also made his Arsenal debut in Europe back in November 2018 – and Gabriel Martinelli did not train at London Colney yesterday morning.
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Martinelli has been left in the capital with illness, but Saka has made the trip despite nursing a foot knock.
Emile Smith Rowe has also travelled and is set to feature having appeared to overcome a knee injury that has ravaged his season since October and limited him to just four Prem appearances so far.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
