%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Arsenal Youngster Yassin Fortune Makes Inauspicious Comparison
By Josh Sippie
Every young athlete has someone he models himself after. Arsenal youngsters are no exception. Although Yassin Fortune may want to think long and hard about his.
Yassin Fortune was the lesser of two signings made by Arsene Wenger when he raided Lens in the summer. Wenger procured himself two brand new young Frenchmen. One, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, has already impressed in preseason with the senior team. As Arsene Wenger put it, he does not play like a 17 year old should play. His composure was borderline ridiculous.
Related Story: Arsenal's 50 Greatest Moments
Reine-Adelaide did not come alone. With him came Yassin Fortune, a 16 year old center forward from the same location. There was not as much hubbub about Fortune, but there was still enough to hold our interest. Given that Arsenal has a bit of a striker shortage, both now and in the future, anybody who plays the position is worth following.
However, Fortune has yet to make the impact on the youth system that fellow wonderkid Donyell Malen has. Malen has already risen to the U21’s and is going toe-to-toe with Mavididi for the sole striker role. Malen is only 16 as well, so Fortune has competition already. Fortune has been rocking it out in the U18s, scoring five in 12 matches, but he is still several steps behind Malen.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
- 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
- 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
- Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
- 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
While other youngsters in the system are likening themselves to Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp, Fortune has compared his game to another Arsenal man, this one a current player.
“I think I’m more like Danny Welbeck as a player,” Fortune said via Arsenal.com.
When it comes to being a center forward, Danny Welbeck may not be the best comparison. While the English forward has so many under-appreciated talents, he has had a long history of not being able to score consistently. Anyone wanting to be a center forward has to identify that as the primary objective of their job.
For those lapses, Welbeck is now 25 years old and despite palpable talent that screams world-class, he is still finding trouble achieving a center forward role. All in spite of the opportunities he has been given.
Next: Arsenal's 30 Greatest Players
Again, this is not meant as disrespect to Danny Welbeck. He is a fantastic work horse and few have a better grip on every other aspect of the game other than scoring. But if Fortune wants to make it through this Arsenal system as a center forward, he is going to have to do it via goals, goals and more goals.
By that measure, let’s hope he means Welbeck’s international self. That would be perfectly fine.