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Francis Coquelin and Hector Bellerin had breakthrough seasons at Arsenal in 2014/15 seasonEvery season Wenger endeavours to give chances to the younger players to shine and with that in mind he progresses to the transfer window, in order to create chances for the academy players to emerge out of their shells. In the previous campaign too, Arsenal presented opportunities to several youngsters of whom only right-back Hector Bellerin and the unforeseen Francis Coquelin grew.Arsene Wenger has always put in a lot of effort for the development of his players from the academy as opposed to purchasing players to benefit the Arsenal game which has somewhat caused problems to the Gunners in the past. A decade with no trophies was the final result in the process.So, who would be on top from Wenger's next batch of youngsters at the club (in no particular order) equipped to take on the big boys this season.
#1 Chuba Akpom
For Akpom, much will depend on whether or not Arsene Wenger sees fit to send him out on loan. In the last campaign he made a few cameo appearances for the club but did not receive sufficient opportunities to establish himself.
In the previous campaign, Akpom was loaned out to Nottingham Forest but has failed to score in the limited opportunities he received there. Despite the whole buzz surrounding him, he failed to make a significant impact in the Championship. On the other hand, his form with the England U-20 has been phenomenal as he netted 6 times in 10 appearances.
Akpom would plan to stay at the club with open doors for a League Cup place, which is a starting point for most youngsters for an opportunity with the first team. While it is likewise conceivable that Wenger could choose to send him out for another loan spell before he decides on the long term future for the youngster at the club.
#2 Dan Crowley
Crowley has drawn plenty of attention towards himself with his stellar performances for the England U-17 and the Gunners U-21 squad. He is technically sound, brilliant at maintaining possession of the ball and also an artful goal scorer. He's best at playing right behind the striker in the number 10 position (which at this point of time is quite full at Arsenal).
His spiky mentality alongside great vision has been contrasted with that of the youthful Jack Wilshere. But like Wilshere, he has spent a decent amount of time on the treatment table hit by injuries.
The young attacker has been prolific in the opportunities he received last season in both the Arsenal U-21s and UEFA youth league. He scored five goals and assisted one for the U-21s in 20 appearances while his performance in Europe was far better with 5 goals and 3 assists in 7 appearances. No doubt that Wenger would love to have a player who is hungry to excel.
#3 Jon Toral
Another of Wenger's fine imports from Barcelona's La Masia academy, the same place from which the likes of Fabregas and more recently Hector Bellerin joined the Gunners. Toral is one of those players with the capacity to perform anywhere in the midfield, be it on the flanks or in the creative number 10 position.
Toral spent last season out on loan at Brentford, gaining valuable experience to make the cut in the senior squad at the Emirates stadium. Making a total of 34 appearances, Toral scored 6 goals involving a hat-trick against Blackpool and also assisted another 2 goals.
His performances are still a grade below many of his colleagues and also the fact that Arsenal are already full in the midfield might be a barrier to his first team opportunities this season. Wenger might plan to loan him out again, but like Coquelin, he might get a chance out of the blue and the youngster should be ready to take his chance.
#4 Gedion Zelalem
Zelalem has been the one name on the minds of the Arsenal fans for quite some time. And in whatever glimpse he's presented so far of himself, the youngster has been no short of remarkable. His remarkable vision and pin-point passing are the signs of an extraordinary midfielder with undoubted intelligence in the game.
But, the question for the 18-year-old remains, whether he can match the physical requirements of the Premier League. Zelalem played in 19 games for the U-21s registering three assists and made 6 UEFA youth cup appearances where he scored a goal and made an assist. He was also privileged to have full 45 minutes on the pitch in the Gunners 4-1 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Zelalem has an opportunity to impress the boss in the tour of Asia and win himself some precious game time during the season.
#5 Krystian Bielik
Wenger signed the youngster to try and fill up the void in the defensive midfield at the club, which was recently made his own by Francis Coquelin. It is a bit disappointing for the youngster to be relegated to the youth level again after having trained consistently with the senior squad at Legia Warsaw. But his opportunity sure is not too far away. Bielik in the last campaign made 7 appearances for the U-21 squad.
Bielik is a defensive midfielder by trade but also efficient at centre-back position. The Pole does appear a good prospect for the first-team and should not face too many hurdles in his development. Wenger should unleash the player with first team opportunities in the League Cup instead of a loan spell this season.
It looks like a matter of time before he breaks into the team and becomes a first-team regular at Arsenal. Bielik could be ready for first team sooner rather than later.
