Arsenal’s Gedion Zelalem Completes United States Citizenship, Bad News for Arsenal?

Arsenal officially has their first United States citizen on their first team squad. Gedion Zelalem just recently completed his acquisition of United States citizenship. It’s an exciting time for the prospect. Being just 17-years old, he joins the ranks of Julian Green, Aron Johannsson, John Brooks and DeAndre Yedlin in a core of really strong young American players.

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The most important thing is that, at only 17-years old, he’s getting a good start on moving into a potentially dynamic role for the Americans. By the time the next World Cup rolls around in 2018, he’ll be 21 years old and if the hype is right, he’s going to be quite the player.

What does this mean from an Arsenal standpoint?

Well, several things.

First of all, we know how much international competitions plague Arsenal players. Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere, Alex Olxlade-Chamberlain, Laurent Kocielny and Theo Walcott have all suffered injuries or setbacks during international competitions, sometimes just in training.

Adding Gedion Zelalem to a club like the United States gives us another player to sweat over because, unlike when he was a German citizen, he’s actually going to be playing now, and playing a lot.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled for the kid. He’s going to be playing for one of the up-and-coming teams in the world and he’s going to be featuring prominently. Alongside a host of young talents like Julian Green, it could greatly enhance his progress and really help him hone his skills for club and country alike.

Congratulations Mr. Zelalem!

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