Mikel Arteta could soon have his very own Adama Traore on his hands at Arsenal – Our View

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Arsenal have a number of talented young players coming through right now.

Mika Biereth, Charlie Patino and Folarin Balogun are three exciting prospects coming through in the U23s, while Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are already making waves in the first team.

However, despite the aforementioned talents all shining, it may soon be time for another young player to get a first-team chance with the Gunners.

Indeed, according to Football London, Tim Akinola has been impressing Mikel Arteta behind the scenes at Arsenal, and he’s even been invited to train with the first-team.

The 20-year-old is a talented youngster, but perhaps the most interesting thing about him are his physical attributes.

Indeed, according to Football London, Akinola is the fastest player in the U23s now. He clocked a speed of 10.4 meters per second.

If he were able to keep that up over 100 meters he’d clock a speed of 9.61 seconds, just 0.03 seconds slower than Usain Bolt’s world-record pace and a faster speed than we’ve ever seen at the Olympic Games.

Of course, top speed isn’t the same as a 100m time, but that just shows how fast this young man is.

On top of his electric pace, Akinola is also as strong as an ox. He has the highest muscle mass in the U23s and according to Football London, he even got the better of Thomas Partey in a 50/50, which is no mean feat.

Akinola is the fastest player in the U23s and also seemingly the strongest and most muscly.

Not many players can combine immense pace with unbelievable strength, but it seems as though Akinola is a player in that mould.

The likes of Adama Traore and Erling Haaland have shown just how productive having both pace and strength can be.

Of course, Akinola isn’t a similar player to Traore or Haaland given that he’s a defensive midfielder, he is in the same unique mould in that he can boast two incredibly valuable physical attributes.  

Akinola could certainly end up being a Traore-esque weapon whose physicality is simply too much for any opposition player to deal with.