Coaching Youth Soccer

Arsenal’s ability to find and nuture young talent is well known, although the success of their youth program may prove detrimental by the loss some of their stars in the January transfer window.

The truth of the matter is that for youngsters like Fran Merida and Jack Wilshere, the limited first team opportunities afforded to them, due to the fact Arsenal’s first team squad is well off for talented midfielders, has only allowed them to appear in some unimportant Champions League games of the Carling Cup.

The problem facing Arsene Wenger is that players like Wilshere and Merida are now ready for a more prominent first team role at the club. With a lot of talented midfielders to choose from including Diaby, Diarra, Rosicky, Narsi and Fabregas, not to mention the likes of Arshavin who can also play a midfield role, there are very limited spots within the midfield for up and coming youngsters to step into the first division.

The irony is, of course, that at the moment, Arsenal don’t have and youngster to trial as strikers which they desperately need at the moment, given the injuries at the moment to leading strikers Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner.

Wilshere has been linked with a loan move away from Highbury for a few weeks now. He has been shown intrest from Burnley to move to Turf Moor, but given that manager Owen Coyle is on the verge of quitting the club to move to Bolton Wanderers, it seems unlikely however that and deal will take place until the managerial problems are fixed. Wilshere himself has stated that he would prefer a loan move to another Premier League side. Recent rumours have leaked that Wilshere is contemplating a loan to West Ham for the remainder of the season and with Arsene Wenger admitting the youngster needs first team soccer, a move could be on the cards.

Fran Merida’s situation with Arsenal is much more complicated. Transferred in much the same was as Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona to Arsenal as a young player, Fran Merida has shown a lot of comparisons with his Spanish counterpart. Arsenal’s first side however has been to hard for Fran Merida to crack despite his obvious talent, and with his contract due to expire in June 2010 and Arsene Wenger unable to persuade him to sign a new deal with the club, Merida has decided that Spain is were he wants to be. He will be making the move to a club he has followed since he was young; Atletico Madrid, however this move will be a permanent one, he will most likely never wear the current Arsenal jersey again..

Although Arsenal’s midfield is hard to crack, Arsenal fans can’t be feeling good that up and coming players that they trained and taught will be leave the club to make a name for themselves for another team, albeit temporarily in Wilshere’s case, only because there is no room for them in the first grade squad.