There is something special going on at London Colney right now. Academy graduates left, right and centre are bursting onto the scene, as manager Mikel Arteta continues to reward the youngsters who impress with opportunities to compete for a place in the first team.
One player in particular continues to showcase his talent at both youth and international level — Marcelo Flores. The 18-year-old has had a rapid rise through professional football so far, graduating through the Arsenal academy after joining from Ipswich Town in 2019.
He's played in several roles for club and country over the years, being positioned as a no.10 in recent seasons. “You have to be adaptable when you play for Arsenal,” Gunners' Under-23's boss Kevin Betsy told The Athletic. “You have to be able to receive the ball in tight spaces, play wide, play inside and he can play off all four positions: No 7, No 11, No 10 — and he’s also played as a No 9 at times too.
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“His work rate out of possession is excellent. He’s had to work very hard with that. He’s a very creative player, a natural attacking player and what you find with those types of players is they like it when they have the ball. When they don’t have the ball, sometimes they can take long to react, but he’s improved that area of his game tenfold in the last two years of his development and that is great to see.”
football.london understands that Arteta is a huge admirer of Flores and will assess him over pre-season to see whether he could be integrated into the first team picture.
Flores has admitted that both Bukayo Saka and academy chief Per Mertesacker have helped him in recent years, and it's that ability in his own qualities that makes him one of the most exciting talents in English football right now.
"I see Bukayo, he is a very good role model for me. He is the best person to talk to, we text and we talk a lot," Flores told Goal. "He worked very hard to get where he is. He gives me advice and shares his own experiences so I'm ready for whatever is coming."
