How have Arsenal’s first year scholars started the season?

A talented group of first years started their scholarship contracts at Arsenal this summer and they have each made varying degrees of progress since then.

Here’s how each player has fared so far – note this article doesn’t cover new signings Axel Donczew, Daniel McCarron, Mylo Bernard and Vincent Joseph, who were mentioned in yesterday’s article, or Max Dowman who is part of the first-team squad.

Hakeem Abubakar

After featuring for the U21s in pre-season, the attack-minded left-back went on to make his competitive debut at that level as a substitute against Barnet in the EFL Trophy.

Abubakar has also been heavily involved for the U18s and was named on the bench for the U19s in the UEFA Youth League.

Elyon Mbala

Another player who has already been involved at higher levels, Mbala made his Premier League 2 debut as a substitute for the U21s against Birmingham last week.

Capable of playing at left-back or centre-back, he also made his UEFA Youth League debut against Napoli and has started to establish himself at U18 level.

Emerson Nwaneri

Nwaneri already made his U21 and U19 debuts as a schoolboy and he has continued to be given opportunities at those levels at times, featuring in both EFL Trophy games so far.

The youngster has demonstrated his versatility, playing in attack, out wide and in midfield at times for the U18s. Wherever he has been deployed, Nwaneri has often made an impact with his impressive dribbling and shooting.

Jayden Oba

Oba, a versatile forward, received several opportunities with Arsenal U18s early in the season.

The hard-working youngster scored his first goal at U18 level against Blackburn and will now be hoping for further chances.

Theo Odaji-Ukueku

Having first featured at U18 level at right-back when he was an U15 player, Odaji-Ukueku is now a fully-fledged member of the squad as a defensive midfielder.

The youngster has been involved in several matches for the U18s and will be aiming to fully establish himself in the team as the campaign progresses.

Angelinou Pedro

Centre-back Pedro became the first member of this season’s scholarship intake to progress to professional terms after featuring at U21 and U19 levels last season.

Having missed pre-season due to injury, Pedro has yet to feature at any level so far this campaign although he was named on the bench for the U18s against Brighton.

Charlie Purdy

It has been an excellent start to the season for midfielder Purdy, who has impressed for the U18s and also trained with the first-team.

Capable of playing as a deep-lying midfielder or slightly further forwards, Purdy scored for the U18s against Norwich last weekend.

Joshua Sesay

A frequent source of goals at U16 level, Sesay has had some lively appearances for the U18s in the early stages of the season.

The winger will aim to continue making an impact despite the intense competition for places.