Alex Iwobi
It's the swagger that really stands out with Alex Iwobi.
When he was thrown on at the deep end, against Barcelona, at the Nou Camp, in the Champions League one of the first things he did was flick the ball around Lionel Messi just outside the Arsenal box – little was just another school game, and Lionel-freaking-Messi was just some other opponent.
The thought that he could miscontrol the ball, that he could end up gifting the world's Best Player the ball on a platter, never even crossed his mind.
This weekend, against Hull, the young Nigerian could be heard screaming at Mesut Özil to get back in position. He didn't say it with arrogance – nor was it taken by the World Cup winning German genius in a bad way – but it says a lot about a young player when he feels confident enough to voice his opinions, no matter how senior the colleague is.
This season he's already scored two goals, and provided three assists (joint highest in the Premier League) – but even those numbers hide just how brilliant he has been on the field. Usually posted on the left wing, he tends to pop up everywhere and come up with decisive interventions – both in offence and in defence.
The Nigerian has the silken touch and mesmeric close-control that enables his innate, and rare, vision and cheekiness to come out in flow when it really matters.
The best thing is that he seems to genuinely enjoy playing his football – a quality that he seems to have picked up from his uncle. You may have heard of that old geezer – a certain Mr. Jay Jay Okocha (Any excuse to link an Okocha video!)
“What I like is his love for the game, his passion for the game and his hard work. Those things together, in our world, are a big quality and so I think he has interesting ingredients, but one game does not make a career. The consistency of your attitude makes a career.” – Arsene Wenger
Wenger may have been sounding reserved to ensure his young star remains grounded, but there is a brimming optimism about the lad at Arsenal that cannot be suppressed. And for good reason.
The Key numbers for Iwobi -
- Matches Played - 19
- Goals scored - 2
- Assists provided – 5
