The contrast could hardly have been starker. During the pre-season tour of Asia last Summer, Gedion Zelalem impressed all with his precise passing and excellent dribbling. His performance for Arsenal’s U18s against Chelsea in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup tie was also memorable, but this time for all the wrong reasons.
The midfielder frequently gave the ball away in dangerous areas, with one such mistake leading to Chelsea’s first goal as the hosts prevailed with a 2-1 victory. After a frustrating performance, Zelalem was replaced by Jack Jebb, who immediately helped Arsenal to rediscover some of their attacking momentum with some neat passes into the path of striker Chuba Akpom.
The problems concerning Zelalem have been bubbling under the surface for quite some time. Other than his debut for the U21 side against Liverpool, he has only produced a small number of standout performances at youth level and, this season, has often been a bystander in matches, struggling to exert any sort of influence on the game.
It doesn’t appear as if this is a case of the player being overhyped. Arsenal themselves have done little to quell the immense expectations surrounding Zelalem by promoting him to the first-team squad in his first season as a scholar. Manager Arsene Wenger also handed him a run-out against Coventry City in the FA Cup and named him on the bench for three fixtures in the Premier League.
There is a school of thought that Zelalem is more suited to playing with senior players, as they are more on his wavelength in a technical sense than those in the youth team. That theory may contain an element of truth, but there is much more for Zelalem to work on, with his physical stature and the defensive side of his game primary concerns.
The likes of Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas before him managed to dominate youth team games at Zelalem’s age. That is not to say that the German U17 international will not match the achievements of that illustrious duo, but, as things stand, he still has a long way to go.
His qualities in a technical sense are obvious. Zelalem possesses an excellent passing range, with his vision often far above many of his contemporaries at youth level. His cause also hasn’t been helped by the club’s decision to deploy him in a more deep-lying midfield position, rather than as a number 10, where he can really thrive.
It is arguable that, on current form, Zelalem should not be a regular in the U21 squad, with players such as Jebb enjoying a better run of performances of late. Perhaps he was rushed into the second-string team a little too early, but it must be remembered that he is only 17 and still has much time on his side.
His first full season at the club has not gone exactly to plan, but Zelalem remains a major prospect for the future. If he can replicate his performances of last Summer by impressing during pre-season, he may well become increasingly involved in the first-team squad. And, surrounded by more talented individuals, we could yet see the best of him.
