Bould - Kids exceeded expectations

Arsenal Academy’s target of developing players ripe for the first-team is working, according to Steve Bould.

The former Gunner currently plays a key role, alongside Liam Brady and Neil Banfield, in turning raw talent into the finished article. This season the conveyor belt that the Club has been working towards really gathered pace.

Nacer Barazite, 18, Gavin Hoyte, 17, Fran Merida, 18, Kieran Gibbs, 18, Mark Randall, 18, and Vito Mannone, 20, have all made the step-up to the senior squad this term. But it is further down the order that Bould has been most proud.

With the Reserves and first-team ‘robbing’ him of the slightly older crowd, the Under-18s manager uses a squad of predominantly 15 to 17-year-olds. No problem though, they still topped their division.

“I think it has been a great year for my team in all honestly,” Bould told Arsenal.com. “Most of the kids have progressed well and one or two have even surpassed what we thought they might achieve. They are ahead of where we expected them to be.

“If you had told me that we were going to play the younger bunch and do so well I wouldn’t have been quite sure. Don’t get me wrong though, I knew that we had good players at the start of the season, and they have proved just that.

“Some of the kids have been dipping their toe in at Reserve level too. That is really pleasing and I am hopeful that they will be full-time with that team next season.

“I think we can happy with what we are doing; that is, developing good footballers.”

Success-a-plenty then, but what has pleased Bould the most?

“To be honest I think the quotes that I have seen from the boss [Arsène Wenger] about the set-up and the ability of our young kids, not just one but he has mentioned several lads, has been great and at the start of the season I would have settled for that,” he said.

“To hear those compliments and to know that he has his eye on one or two of the youngsters for the future proves that our target of developing the players is working.”