“Zelalem…what a ball that is! What a pass from the youngster…”
Given the importance of youth in the current world of football, the media and fans pay close attention to young players nowadays, always on the prowl to find the next big star.
While it’s good to keep an interest in the future stars of tomorrow, youngsters are given special labels such as ‘the next Messi’ regardless of whether they are ready to cope with the high expectations they’re being given. As a result, most of these youngsters do not live up to these massive expectations, and end up being branded flops in the end.
And so when 16-year-old Arsenal midfield youngster, Gedion Zelalem was labelled ‘the next Fabregas’ in April by the Mirror, ahead of his U21 debut for Arsenal against Liverpool, some fans had a chuckle. The labelling of young players is a norm nowadays and Zelalem was probably just being overhyped. The youngster though, looked good against Liverpool which opened quite a few eyes but surely it was too early to really compare this player to someone of Fabregas’ quality from the same age?
However, after Zelalem’s recent pre-season performances for Arsenal, more and more fans are now opening their eyes and realizing why this gifted player is rated so highly.
Despite being 16, Zelalem displayed maturity, composure and confidence levels beyond his years, catching the eye in nearly every appearance, with the highlight of his pre-season being his notable inch-perfect, defense splitting through-balls. His ability to precisely pick out passes for players such as his pre-assist for Oxlade-Chamberlain to Akpom against Vietnam and assist for Walcott against Nagoya Grampus hasn’t gone unnoticed by Wenger or the fans.
Zelalem’s attributes suit the model of a typical Arsenal playmaker – creativity, ball control, awareness and vision. Under pressure, Zelalem doesn’t panic and trusts his ability on the ball, as mentioned earlier with his composure, while he has displayed skills transcending other youngsters in the same age group. It’s no surprise that when a Twitter user asked him who he modelled his game on, Zelalem replied with Laudrup and Ozil.
Having played for Hertha Berlin before moving to America to play for Olney Rangers, Zelalem – a German of Ethiopian descent – was brought to Arsenal after a recommendation to the Gunners’ north American scout, Danny Karbassiyoon from Zelalem’s old coach, Matt Pilkington. He only had good things to say about the youngster –
“The balance, the vision, the ideas – you don’t see that often at [Zelalem’s] age. We will see Gedion in Arsenal’s first team three years from now. He’s got a great future.”
And given his short meteoric rise, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Zelalem do just that. His recent performances have got much deserved praise from fellow Arsenal players as well:
Jenkinson is one who said – “So many of the young players impress me to be honest but if I had to choose one it would be Gedion. He is very gifted on the ball, he is a midfielder that it is difficult to get the ball off, he has great balance and good feet and has great vision. He is still young, so physically he still has to develop and get a bit quicker and stronger – but technically he has got all the attributes to play at the highest level, without a doubt.”
Arsenal’s number ten, Wilshere was also impressed by the youngster – “He is only 16 but when he got his chance he took it. He played a few passes through that I don’t know how he saw them to be honest.” – Jack Wilshere
Arsene Wenger also had a few words to share – “He’s a young player who develops well. Pre-season helps us to give a chance to these players, to get them to realise what it demands to be at the top level. He is improving very quickly.
To conclude, is Zelalem worth the hype? Yes, very much so – he’s a gifted playmaker who will only excel under the tutelage of Wenger. However, he still needs to develop. He is still physically weak and very inexperienced though his outings with the first team have been greatly beneficial while he still has many years left to develop physically and mentally. A season or two with the reserves is what he needs as it would be a huge risk to rush him but being in the first team in 3 years time is certainly possible. Expect him to feature in the domestic cup competitions this season.
Gedion Zelalem. Remember the name.
