Unai Emery has hailed a new era at the Emirates.
With a host of new signings, Arsenal fans will be optimistic about the coming season. Arsene Wenger’s magic had seemed to dry up in recent seasons and he just could not get the right effort or commitment from his players.
Signings such as Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichsteiner perhaps show the Spanish manager favours experience, the defenders being aged 30 and 34 respectively. This is perhaps a response to the perceived lack of backbone to the side during the latter Wenger years.
However, it would be an oversight from Emery to not give youth a chance. Arsenal have a good academy with some promising players coming through and it would be a mistake not to give them chances in the first team. For a club the size of Arsenal, more top quality players should be coming through their ranks
With that in mind, here are two Arsenal youngsters Unai Emery should give more first-team chances to next season….
Strong front man Stephy Mavididi deserves his chance in the Arsenal senior set up.
After successful loan spells away with Preston North End and Charlton Athletic, Mavididi has proved himself a very capable player.
Capable of surging runs forward, trickery and a great turn of pace, it is just his finishing Mavididi needs to work on. If he can become cool and collected in one-on-ones, Arsenal have a great player on their hands.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has shown glimpses of what he can do in an Arsenal shirt.
The player is rated as being worth £6.3m by Transfermarkt.
Often deployed as a wing back, Maitland-Niles is actually best used in central midfield. His quickness in the pass and alertness makes him a good fit for either position. His pace is a major asset to his game, he makes it very difficult for any player to get away from him.
Maitland-Niles drew praise for his performances last season. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has complimented the performances of the youngster, proving his potential.
