Elijah Upson could help to provide Arsenal U21s with greater defensive foundation

Arsenal U21s will be looking to move on as quickly as possible from last night’s 5-1 defeat against Barnet in the EFL Trophy and thankfully they will have a chance to register their first victory of the season on Saturday when they commence their Premier League 2 campaign against Crystal Palace.

If David Horseman’s side are to be successful in that objective then it seems clear that they will need to be much better defensively.

The central-defensive partnership of Teshaun Murisa and Josh Ogunnaike certainly didn’t work against Barnet, with the former a midfielder and the latter more comfortable at left-back.

It is possible that Marli Salmon could still play some games at this level this season but if he is unavailable then it will raise some concerns about how the team will cope defensively.

Brayden Clarke, who didn’t feature against Barnet, previously stated his desire to go on loan although it remains to be seen whether a deal will take place before the transfer deadline.

There is, though, a glimmer of hope for the U21s with Elijah Upson having made his debut as a substitute yesterday.

Upson, who was previously at Tottenham, entered the fray with Arsenal 5-1 down which means it is difficult to fully assess his performance.

However, there were some very encouraging signs during his time on the field, with the 18-year-old demonstrating good aerial ability as well as composure in possession.

It isn’t currently clear whether Upson will be fit enough to start against Palace but he should certainly be a key figure for the U21s going forwards this season and could help to improve matters defensively.