Arsenal take on West Ham United in the Premier League today and youngster Jimi Gower has been featured in training ahead of the game.
The Gunners head to the London Stadium in search of another big win in their quest for Champions League qualification.
It’s therefore a little unlikely that Mikel Arteta will throw an untested youngster into his starting lineup for today’s game.
Arteta does love naming young players on the bench though. The likes of Zak Swanson, Zach Awe, Omari Hutchinson and Miguel Azeez have all been substitutes in recent weeks.
That means any young player at Arsenal has a chance of being in a Premier League matchday squad.
Arteta was preparing his side for the West Ham clash on Saturday, calling a number of young players into training once again.
One of them was midfielder Gower, who maybe isn’t seen in first-team training as much as the likes of Hutchinson or Azeez.
Gower, 17, has played in a host of midfield roles in the Arsenal ranks. Transfermarkt suggest that Gower has only played 211 minutes in the Under-18 Premier League this season.
Going from fringe Under-18 player to training with international stars will have been an incredible step up for Gower to experience.
Maybe Arteta has spotted something he likes about Gower, but he likely needs more youth football before featuring for the Arsenal first team.
Gower is the son of former Premier League midfielder Mark Gower, who turned out for Swansea City in the Premier League between 2011 and 2013.
Gower was actually a Tottenham Hotspur youngster as a kid and grew up supporting Spurs, so seeing his son rise through the Arsenal ranks may hurt a little!
Still, seeing his son catch the eye of Arsenal coaches has to be a proud moment and we could see more of Gower in Arteta’s training sessions moving forward.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
