The five Arsenal young stars set to feature in the first-team next season; in my opinion anyway.
Aaron Ramsey
Since he broke into the side at such a young age, it seems to have been forgotten quite how young he actually is. His career was brutally interrupted by a dreadful injury at the hands of Ryan Shawcross last year, but now seems to be on the comeback trail. Ramsey was magnificent in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester United at the Emirates, managing to score the winner, and has put in competent shifts ever since. The key for Ramsey is whether he can gain a high level of consistency in his play – week in week out – which is always the hardest thing for a young player to achieve. The 20-year-old is the stand-out player to look out for next season, regardless.
Henri Lansbury
The 20-year-old recently stated that there would be nothing more satisfying for him than to break into the Arsenal first-team next season. His ambition is not to merely use this club in order to be more attractive to lower league sides should he not make at Arsenal. He wants to be successful at the North London club, and that can only be a good thing. He was limited to only one Carling Cup appearance this season for Arsenal, but he excelled in the game. Out at Norwich, Lansbury soon became a first-team regular in a side which gained promotion, which says a lot about his ability and talent. He could make some appearances next season.
Jay-Emmanuel Thomas
The 20-year-old is an erratic player, one who can do things of great skill and intuitiveness whilst also having an uncanny ability to look like the worst player on the pitch at the same time. He was out on loan at Cardiff, where he was jeered off in the play-off second leg against Reading. Although extremely harsh from their supporters, his performance was not up to scratch. Wenger is known to rate him extremely highly, and the youngster will be hoping to play some sort of role in the Arsenal squad next season. It seems more likely he will be sent out on another loan though.
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Emmanuel Frimpong
Before a serious knee injury right at the start of last season, there were various people who deemed Frimpong good enough to challenge Alex Song for a place in the Arsenal midfield, and there were many others who believed he was good enough for a place on the bench. The 19-year-old is physically incredible, with perhaps slightly less technical ability than his peers, but a talented player nonetheless. He has now fully recovered from his injury and is certain to be a member of the squad next year.
Ryo Miyaichi
Arsenal did not just sign this youngster to sell shirts in Asia. The 18-year-old went out on loan to Feyenoord, simply because he could not gain a work permit for England. A talented winger, with great flair and drive, Miyaichi is certain to make it at Arsenal in at least some role – the club will re-apply for a permit this summer, hoping to get more success this time round. He is a fantastic talent, and one whom the rest of Europe were chasing. He’s in good hands with Wenger, and Arsenal are lucky to have him.
Read more of Alastair's articles at Gunnersphere
