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Arsenal: Alex Iwobi Rerouting Gedion Zelalem’s Career
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal’s quest to prolong their success involves always having a steady stream of talent in the ranks. One of those talents, however, is severely rerouting another.
Arsenal’s collection of young, undersized creative midfielders is a widely discussed topic. Wenger has a certain love for the Santi Cazorla type, who are physically incapable of winning any battle of strength, but pass so well that that can oftentimes be compensated for.
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One of the primary talents in that field has always been Gedion Zelalem. The German-turned-American has all the makings of a Mesut-Ozil-type. We saw it during his loan at Rangers. Even the negatives were there. He could appear lethargic and uninterested, but in the end, his ability to pass and quickly turn and release a ball made him a special talent.
Zelalem is turning 20 soon and his breakthrough is still waiting. He hasn’t been given much of a chance aside from a few cameos and, unfortunately, those chances aren’t going to be coming any time soon because of the presence of Alex Iwobi.
The 20 year old Nigerian did something rather sneaky. He broke into the first team as a winger at a time when that was needed and he’s now established himself as the back-up No. 10, bypassing the line of succession, if ever there was one.
What Ozil has and what Iwobi has is similar but with key differences. Iwobi is a big dude. He has physical capabilities that guys like Ozil and Zelalem don’t. Plus, his work ethic is steadily improving and that is another thing he can boast.
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If Iwobi is the future of the No. 10 position, then it’s pretty clear that Wenger is trying to go in another direction. Not only in the contrast between Iwobi and Ozil, but in the way that Iwobi has shouldered Zelalem away from that future.
It makes us wonder what Zelalem has to look forward to with the Gunners. Is he going to challenge Iwobi, who has a significant headstart? Or is he going to drop back and be a Santi Cazorla type?
That latter option is a bit worrisome. Cazorla was not supposed to succeed at that holding role but he acclimated remarkably quickly. He is a special talent. Not many undersized midfielders could have made it work like he did.
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Expecting Zelalem to do the same is almost unfair. It’s not like he couldn’t learn, but it is certainly a big stretch for someone that could find greener pastures at Borussia Dortmund.