Youngsters Gedion Zelalem, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Stefan O’Connor all came on for the Gunners in Turkey.
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Hot off the conveyor belt six of Arsenal’s finest academy products were named by Arsene Wenger on the bench for the Gunners last group game against Galatasaray.
Whilst neither side might not have been putting exactly 100% into the tie – Arsenal were already qualified and Galatasaray already knocked out – the match was the perfect opportunity to provide game-time to the Gunners next big prospects.
Of the six youngsters; Gedion Zelalem, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Stefan O’Connor were the lucky three that took to the field in the second half and whilst Arsenal fans may be frustrated with their team at the moment, the three substitutes provided optimism that they may have something to cheer about in the future.
CaughtOffside analyses their performances.
Gedion Zelalem
Age: 17
Place of Birth: Germany
Position: Midfielder
The highly regarded youngster, who has seen comparisons with Cesc Fabregas since he burst onto the scene in Arsenal’s 2013 pre-season tour, came on at the break replacing Mathieu Flamini.
It was Zelalem’s first match for the Arsenal first team since a run-out against Coventry in the FA Cup in January and despite the limited competitive chances, Zelalem looked typically classy on the ball.
Composed and comfortable but strong and robust, the 17 year old provided control at the base of Arsenal’s midfield completing over 90% of his passes and committing just one foul.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Age: 17
Place of Birth: London, UK
Position: Winger
Hardly looked overawed at the big occasion, completing a remarkable 93.1% of his passes and almost provided a number of decent through balls for the Arsenal forward’s the game went on.
Renowned for his pace and athleticism as a winger, Maitland-Niles is also known to operate through central midfield – a position he took up last night as Podolski, Sanogo and Campbell filled the forward line.
May be a regular in the Gunners first team in seasons to come as he continues to make remarkable progression through their youth ranks.
Stefan O’Connor
Age: 17
Place of Birth: London, UK
Position: Defender
Only given 13 minutes towards the end of the match, O’Connor didn’t have a great amount of time to impose himself on the game.
However, during his time on the field in Turkey made a number of stops including a vital clearance just as Wesley Sneijder was about to unleash one of his trademark thunderous shots.
Seen as a real defensive prospect for the future but O’Connor may find himself competing with fellow young gun Isaac Hayden who has already featured for Arsenal this season and only missed out on Wednesday due to a long-term injury.