Highbury's Leading Lights..The Future's Bright..The Future's Arsenal

Francesc Fabregas
Born: 04 May 1987, Vilessoc de Mar, Spain
Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Spanish
Capped at Under-21 Level.
Joined Arsenal: 11 September 2003
Debut: v Rotherham (h) League Cup, October 28, 2003

Fabregas is probably the most highly rated of Arsenal's young players. He burst onto the scene at the tender age of 16, when he scored against Wolves in the Carling Cup. Last season he was pushed to the fore by the injuries sustained by Gilberto and Edu. Fabregas' work ethic, vision and canny knack of making the right decision when in possession, mean he slots in seamlessly to Arsenal's fluent style of play. A lot is expected of Fabregas and he is expected to lead the new generation and be one of the stars shining brightest at Ashburton Grove.

Jose Antonio Reyes
Born: 01 September 1983, Utera, Spain Age: 21
Position: Striker
Nationality: Spanish Full International Honours
Joined Arsenal: 27th Jan 2004
Debut: v Manchester City (h) League, January 31, 2004

Jose Antonio Reyes was Arsene's major buy of the last unbeaten season after Wenger had been scouting him for over 2 years. It has taken him some time to settle and only now are we seeing his full potential. A dynamic winger, who can play a
withdrawn striker role or equally as a main striker himself Reyes' direct running, low centre of gravity, steely determination, great attitude, work-rate and dribbling ability make him a worthy asset and with an underestimated amount of experience for a player so young, Jose Antonio Reyes is a very much so a player to watch in the future.

Robin Van Persie
Born: 06 August 1983, Rotterdam, Holland
Age: 22
Position: Striker
Nationality: Dutch
Full International Honours
Joined: 05 August 2004
Debut: v Manchester United (n) Community Shield, August 8, 2004

Van Persie is probably my favourite young player at the club, he has a fighting spirit and you can see that the guy has class written all over him. When he has the ball I expect something. Being left footed and also able to play on the wing or as a second striker means he offers good balance to the squad and if picked the team. Van Persie combines a steely determination, physical power and desire with speed and technique. He has all the attributes to be a very special player and I think he will make a big impact this season.

Gael Clichy
Born: 26 July 1985, Toulouse, France Age: 20
Position: Left Full Back
Nationality: French
Capped at Under-21 Level
Joined: 04 August 2003
Debut: v Rotherham (h) League Cup, Oct 28, 2003

Gael Clichy fits seamlessly into the side, he has been one of our most consistent performers when called upon and has the potential to be as good or possibly better than Ashley Cole. Clichy has exceptional pace, improving stamina and strength. Gael is a steely character and is tenacious in the tackle. He possesses a low centre of gravity and is a good exponent of one touch passing. He provides a great depth for the squad and after making his debut so young, Gael has a good level of experience for someone so young. Another of Arsene's great finds.

Matthieu Flamini
Born: 07 March 1984, Marseille Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: French
Capped at Under-21 Level
Joined: 22 July 2004
Debut: v Everton (a) League, August 15, 2004

Matthieu is like a perpetual motion machine. He never stops running. He is an all action midfielder and like Fabregas played a lot of games last season. Flamini is another with a high level of experience, having played a Uefa cup final at the tender age of 20. Matthieu is a ball winner and likes does the simple things very well, he tracks back and rarely over complicates things, which is a criticism levelled at Arsenal all too often. He is another player, which adds great strength to the squad and hasn't let anybody down when called upon. A big player for the future who as he improves physically will only get better.

Philippe Senderos
Born: 14 February 1985, Geneva
Age: 20
Position: Defender
Nationality: Swiss
Full International Honours
Joined: 01 June 2003
Debut: v Manchester City (a) League Cup, October 27, 2004

Philippe Senderos resembles an old fashioned central defender. He is big, strong, hard in the tackle and like to try and organise those around him. He had a tough start to his Arsenal career after his first season was plagued by injury and there were serious doubts as to whether he would make it. However, like Robin Van Persie he showed incredible mental strength when it would have been far easier to fold. Sol Campbell was injured for a large part of last season and he certainly took his chance. Putting in many assured displays and helping to stabilise what in truth was a somewhat shaky backline. Another player with a massive future.

Emmanuel Eboue
Born: 04 January 1983, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Age: 22
Position: Defender
Nationality: Ivorian
Full International Honours
Joined: 02 January 2005
Debut: v Stoke City (h) FA Cup, January 29, 2005

Emmanuel Eboue is another important squad member who seems to be in the classic member mould. He's strong, tall, athletic, has stamina and above all, exceptional pace. He reminds me of Kolo Toure, in the fact that, he looks like he could play anywhere. He, like Senderos, has taken his time to adapt and make an impact however is now coming to the fore (what a goal against Sunderland!). With players like Eboue improving and adapting all the while it just makes the squad stronger. That is why Arsene doesn't feel it necessary to buy lots of new players, as he has players like Emmanuel who by constantly getting better are improving the squad all the time.

Arturo Lupoli
Born: 26 June 1987, Brescia, Italy Age: 18
Position: Striker
Nationality: Italian
Capped at Under-21 Level
Joined: 07 July 2004
Debut: v Manchester City (a) League Cup, October 27, 2004

Arturo Lupoli is a diminutive Italian striker, he is a natural goalscorer, in the mould of Michael Owen. Bought from Parma in 2004, where he had scored 40 goals in their youth team. He is a player who could play a very big role in the future if he continues his remarkable progress. Lupoli scored 27 goals for the reserves last season and has 8 goals already this campaign. Lupoli is very quick over 10-15 yards and plays off the shoulder of the defender. He could be our predator, our 'fox in the box'. This guy can be very special.

Quincy Owusu Abeyie
Born: 15 April 1986, Amsterdam Age: 20
Position: Attacker
Nationality: Dutch
Capped at Under-21 Level
Joined: 2003
Debut: v Rotherham (h) League Cup, October 28, 2003

Quincy is a lightning fast attacker, who can play both on the wing and as a striker. He is exciting. He possesses tremendous dribbling ability and is not short of a trick or two. His direct running and approach to the game make him a very unique type of player and he has continued to steadily progress through the youth ranks after joining from Ajax in 2003. A real talent the versatile Quincy Owusu Abeyie is a player we are sure to see a lot more of in the very near future.

Sebastian Larsson
Born: 06 June 1985, Eskiltuna, Sweden Age: 20
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Swedish
Capped at Under-21 Level
Joined: 2002
Debut: v Manchester City (a) League Cup, October 27, 2004

Sebastian Larsson is a midfielder who has been at the club a fairly long time for someone so young, and so his development sometimes gets overlooked by the guys who have made a more dramatic impact such as Cesc Farbregas. However Arsene is not one to keep a player if he has not improved in line with his expectations and so Larsson must be doing something right. Sebastian is making steady progress and his vision, passing ability and work-rate make him a very real candidate for a place in the first team very soon.

These are just some of the young stars at Highbury, players such as Nicklas Bendtner (the reserves top scorer), Fabrice Muamba, Alexandre Song, Vito Mannone are all highly talented and among the best in the world for their ages, not to mention loanees such as Jeremie Alliadiere, Justin Hoyte and Ryan Smith who all have big futures in the game and I'm sure they will make an impact at Arsenal soon.

Ashburton Grove awaits..