Bearman 9 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 After a season on loan with Scottish club Rangers FC, Gedion Zelalem will reportedly be given every chance to assert himself with Arsenal next season. The Telegraph is reporting that Zelalem will be given the chance to earn a spot on the Arsenal first team this summer. The club is expected to part ways with midfielders Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky at the end of the season, opening the door for Zelalem to lock down a consistent role with the senior squad. However, the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team midfielder will have competition. Arsenal is hoping to add Borussia Monchengladbach star Granit Xhaka in the summer window, while younger players like Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny have shined throughout the season. Still, the hope is that Zelalem will follow the path of fellow Arsenal prospect Alex Iwobi, who has made seven English Premier League appearances for the Gunners while adding two goals. Zelalem has made 22 total appearances for Rangers since joining the team on loan, but has started just once since February. Manager Mark Warburton has been left impressed by the midfielder’s stint at the club. “I said right from the start I wanted players who could dominate the football,” Warburton told the Daily Record. “Others may use different terms but I want players who are comfortable in possession, enjoy possession and always look to get on it. “And if they make a mistake, show again. Look at Gedion Zelalem, a couple of games the crowd got on his back when the first couple of passes went astray but the next thing he does is go straight for the ball. He’s 18 but that’s great character, great courage to get on the ball and play in that sort of arena. That’s the type of player I’ll always go for.” Zelalem and Rangers are back in action on Tuesday for a clash with Dumbarton. http://sbisoccer.com/2016/04/report-zelalem-to-be-given-chance-to-make-arsenal-first-team 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 This flies in the face of BH's "source" who said that those watching Zelalem would be recommending that Arsenal sell him...... That said, as an Arsenal fan I will be worried if Zelalem is a starter next season at the Gunners. Too much quality for him to make an impact with players such as Ramsay, Elneny, Wilshere all looking to hold down the central midfield spots. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinstein 294 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 no way Zelalem would get anywhere Gunner's reserves 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,458 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 A young talented player who has a bright future 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 A young talented player who has a bright future Totally agree. If it is with Arsenal or a top team is open to discussion. He will certainly need to improve a lot. Though with better players around him the diamond may be polished. Kante at Leicester City has set new standards for midfielder's in th EPL and I doubt Zelalem has those attributes. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Good luck to him he will need it. We are a far better team without him. As such its hard to see how he could improve arsenal. That said it's a different league and different quality of players around him. Plus arsenal are happy as long as they are top 4. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,186 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 It's a shame the lad's development here has been halted due to injury and illness but there's clearly a lot of potential there. Good luck to him when he returns to Arsenal! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyk 158 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 A young talented player who has a bright future sssshhh you can't say that on here Ian, he is rubbish and will never make it at the top level 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 It's a shame the lad's development here has been halted due to injury and illness but there's clearly a lot of potential there. Good luck to him when he returns to Arsenal! We still have 7 games left and I am sure he will still be appearing for us. I hope he has good luck with us as well. He has the talent to make it big. I think people forget he is still very young. The one thing that does worry me for him is his Kicking\shooting technique as I am not sure that is something you can learn. You may be able to improve it slightly with training but that is normally a natural ability. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,186 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 We still have 7 games left and I am sure he will still be appearing for us. I hope he has good luck with us as well.He has the talent to make it big. I think people forget he is still very young. The one thing that does worry me for him is his Kicking\shooting technique as I am not sure that is something you can learn. You may be able to improve it slightly with training but that is normally a natural ability. As Rousseau has written on previously he's not there to shoot and score goals. It's like saying Kenny Miller isn't a very good tackler. Sure technique should always been improved where appropriate but, no matter what level Zelalem ends up playing at, you can be sure we'll not be talking about his goals... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.