Arsenal Vs Eintracht Frankfurt: At least we get to watch the kids

There are very few positives to be found in Arsenal’s season thus far. But at least when Eintracht Frankfurt come to the Emirates on Thursday night, fans will get to watch a bunch of blossoming young players.

Things are not going very well at Arsenal at present. They have an incumbent head coach who everyone wants to be fired apart from those who make the decision, their performances are only worsening by the week, and the players are beginning to mount a mass exodus as Champions League football looks like an increasing improbability.

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It does not take long to realise that there is a largely negative feeling around the club. The Emirates is emptying, and those that remain are not the most overjoyed at what they are watching, social media is a minefield of criticism and explosive reactions, while the players now also look dejected and disinterested, which might be the final nail in Emery’s deepening coffin.

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However, while this season has largely been a depressing period for any Arsenal fan, if there has been iota of positivity and comfort to rest on, it has come from the burgeoning young players at the club that are beginning to break into the first team, especially those that have performed so encouragingly in the EFL Cup and Europa League. And on Thursday, we will again get a chance to see some of these developing stars in action, this time against Eintracht Frankfurt when the German side comes to the Emirates.

There are many youngsters that I could highlight here — this is perhaps why it is so exciting. But there are three that I am especially looking forward to watching on Thursday, should they feature: centre-forward Gabriel Martinelli, who is the club’s second-top scorer this season, winger Bukayo Saka, and attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.

There might not be a more uplifting Arsenal story this season than Martinelli. The Brazilian has taken the club by storm after his summer transfer. His effervescent style is infectious, he has a wonderful knack to convert scoring chances, and his overall play in the final third is only improving, as evidenced by his assist for Alexandre Lacazette last weekend. Simply watching him play is a joy; seeing his play develop, then, is truly wonderful.

Saka, meanwhile, briefly broke into the Premier League XI, even ahead of £72 million Nicolas Pepe, during Lacazette’s month on the sidelines, but has since slipped into the shadows once more. Can he make a meaningful impact on a match and establish himself in the league rotation once again? It was, after all, the first match against Frankfurt that he first put himself on the first-team map.

Of the young talents at the club, Smith Rowe might have made the smallest impact this season. And yet, he might also be the most gifted of them all. Playing with a rare awareness and intelligence, he drifts through games with a wonderful creativity, guile and sense of when to push the envelope and when to play more conservatively, all the while possessing a deceptive athleticism that you do not always align with primarily creative players.

Arsenal have a wonderful crop of young players coming through their ranks. There is not much to celebrate about their season thus far, but the burgeoning talent of the academy and scouting network is something. And on Thursday night, we will get the opportunity to watch it blossom once more.