Scouting Arsenal's Rising Star Alex Iwobi
This season has been a very disappointing one for Arsenal. The fans are up in arms, with some even planning a protest demonstrating their dissatisfaction with the club’s board as well as manager Arsene Wenger.
However, there is one aspect of Wenger’s management that almost all fans will recognise as a positive thing: his ability to nurture young talent. The latest example of Nigerian Alex Iwobi. In a season full of problems, his emergence has been an undisputed highlight.
Iwobi is not exactly a new face at Arsenal. He joined the club while still at primary school, having moved to England from Nigeria at a young age. Football is in his blood: Iwobi is the nephew of former Premier League star Jay-Jay Okocha.
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Another of Iwobi’s uncles, Emmanuel Okocha, has spoken to the Sun about Iwobi’s football-obsessed childhood:
"When he was young he loved imitating the top stars back then like Alan Shearer and his uncle Jay-Jay. Football was his life from that time.
He came back to Nigeria when he was about four years old.
The surface in Nigeria can be rough and he was playing bare feet and he peeled his toes. He got a bandage and still kept on playing even though he was hurt.
He kept on playing everywhere, that’s how much he loved it.
"
That hunger for the game has helped Iwobi progress through the ranks at Arsenal, until eventually making his first-team debut this season.
There were signs he would make an impact this year back in preseason. Iwobi was part of the squad for the Emirates Cup tournament, and he announced himself to the Arsenal fans in considerable style, scoring a well-taken goal in a 6-0 win over Lyon.
Wenger obviously saw enough then to convince him to keep Iwobi around. While the likes of Chuba Akpom and Isaac Hayden were sent on loan, Iwobi was retained to train regularly with the first-team squad. That decision appears to have paid dividends—first of all, Iwobi was able to capitalise on Arsenal’s annual injury crisis to force his way into Wenger’s plans.
However, more than that, he has steeped himself in Arsenal’s style. By the time his opportunity came around, he was already familiar with the first-team’s pattern of play. That’s partly a credit to his education at the Arsenal academy, which moulds players specifically to suit Wenger’s technical approach, but it’s also because he had become accustomed to playing with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground.
Iwobi’s story is an argument against the tried-and-tested route of sending players on loan.
Wenger has admitted to Arsenal.com that Iwobi’s training regime has helped him settle quickly—although even he has been surprised by the scale of his success:
"He’s worked with us since the start of the season and he has grown, gained confidence and when he came in he had an impact straight away.
That’s benefited from the fact that he knows everybody and they trust him as well. I didn’t expect that level of efficiency or impact on the scoresheet.
"
His first competitive start for the club was not a memorable one. Iwobi was part of the Arsenal XI that succumbed to a 3-0 defeat away to Sheffield Wednesday back in October. It was a feeble performance from the Gunners and a relatively timid one from Iwobi. However, something about his game clearly impressed Wenger—four days later, he made his Premier League debut as a substitute in a 3-0 victory over Swansea City.
A UEFA Champions League bow was not far behind. Again, the circumstances weren’t ideal: Iwobi came on in a match Arsenal lost 5-1 to German giants Bayern Munich. However, every minute on the field helped him acclimatise to the level of senior football.
His first starts came in the FA Cup third and fourth rounds against Sunderland and Burnley. If it was a bit surprising to see Iwobi named in the starting line-up, it was a major shock to see him selected to play as Arsenal’s No. 10. His Premier League bow had come as a substitute for Ozil, and now the youngster was being asked to fill his role as the team’s arch-creator.
The responsibility would have been too great for lesser players. However, Iwobi seized it with aplomb. It was in these games that his qualities really emerged: immaculate technique, preternaturally wise decision-making, and a remarkable confidence on the ball.
Iwobi is neither a pure midfielder nor an attacker—he operates between the lines, causing defenders all sorts of problems. He has the skill to outwit them, the vision to pass in behind them and the speed to run beyond them.
The 19-year-old has a long way to go before he can emulate Ozil. However, he does share that intoxicating combination of strong mental and technical attributes. It’s perhaps his psychological make-up that’s most impressive: Iwobi has been unfazed by his ascension to first-team level. That much was evident when he was named as a surprise starter for the Champions League tie with Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
It’s staggering that in one of football’s great arenas, before the eyes of the world, a 19-year-old making his first European start did not look remotely out of place. Iwobi followed up that display with his first Premier League goals against Everton and Watford, both dispatched with the certainty of a player 10 years his senior.
Iwobi has become a regular fixture in the Arsenal team. He is stationed on the left flank, but one of his great strengths is his ability to interchange positions with Ozil, Alexis and even Danny Welbeck. He has helped restore some semblance of fluidity and balance to the Arsenal attack, and he is keeping seasoned internationals like Theo Walcott out of the side. Walcott is probably glad Iwobi has chosen to represent Nigeria rather than England, or the youngster would surely soon be offering a threat to his international place, too.
It’s unclear how prominent a part Iwobi will play next season. After such a bad season, there will surely be significant work undertaken in the transfer window to improve Wenger’s squad for next year. That may mean Iwobi’s status as a regular starter comes under threat.
However, his performances have ensured he’ll remain an important part of Wenger’s plans. Given his age and his obvious potential, the Arsenal boss is likely to keep faith with him over the likes of Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Iwobi’s name may be new to some, but in truth, he has waited over a decade for his chance to shine at Arsenal. What he does over the next few years will define him. The early evidence suggests he has everything it takes to make the cut and the club where he’s been raised.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.
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