Ability to turn a game on its head – academy starlet ready to make big impact at Pompey
NEW sports reporter, Simon
Cox, has joined The News after previously working for Arsenal.
The new addition to the team has used that background to provide some insight over the arrival of teen prospect Miguel Azeez from the Gunners.
Pompey’s loan signing of the Arsenal starlet provides a statement of intent from the club – and could be the difference in helping the Blues return to the Championship at the end of the season.
The club reportedly fended off interest from clubs in the second tier to secure his services for the campaign, with the midfielder expressing how Fratton Park was an ‘amazing stadium’ when speaking to fans on Twitter.
The 18-year-old’s versatility makes him a prized asset to boss Danny Cowley, who has a history of improving young Gunners.
When the former Lincoln
City head coach stood in the Huddersfield Town dugout across the 2019-20 Championship season, he was credited for improving and transforming the ability of Emile Smith Rowe, who had also signed under Cowley on loan.
Smith Rowe has since starred for the club while being handed the coveted number 10 shirt of Arsenal.
Despite only being at the start of his fledgling career, Azeez has always stepped up throughout the various age groups of academy football.
He made his Arsenal under-18s debut aged just 14 back in 2018, and made four appearances in total across the 2017-18 under-18 season.
Since then he proved to be an integral cog in the youth team machine.
Just two years after his under-18s debut, then under-23s boss Steve Bould fast-tracked him into his side.
Once again, he took like a duck to water in a league featuring heightened physicality than what he had previously been used to.
Already this season Azeez was beginning to make his mark.
Despite being on the wrong side of a 6-1 defeat to West Ham United under-23s, he scored his side’s only goal of the game.
Azeez regularly trained with the club’s first team, which can only be a positive, as he was rubbing shoulders with star players such as Pierre EmerickAubameyang and Bukayo Saka.
He also featured four times within Arsenal’s matchday squad across last season’s Europa League campaign and made his first-team debut for the club against Dundalk in Dublin.
Combative off the ball and effective on it, Azeez has the ability to turn a game on its head.
Although it is unlikely he will feature in a more defensive role under Cowley, he has the ability to play in many midfield areas.
Cowley is likely to utilise
Azeez as a box-to-box midfielder thanks to the 18-year-old’s ability to drive with the ball from deep and play a perfect pass.
Despite the hype around his potential, it’s also worth remembering it may take time for him to settle into his new surroundings while still having to fight for his place in the Pompey starting XI.
The signing of the midfielder also reflects how the loan market can be used to clubs like Pompey’s advantage.
For a minimal cost, the club receives a hungry player looking to make their name in the game.