Arsenal will be looking to make it two wins in a row this week when they face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners are currently third in the Premier League table on 29 points and will be eager to keep up the pressure on leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal go into the Everton game on the back of a superb 3-0 win over Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
However, the Gunners could only draw with Fulham in their league match last week, so they won’t want to drop any more points in the league.
Mikel Arteta is currently dealing with a defensive crisis, which means several academy defenders were spotted in training on Friday.
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Josh Nichols, Jack Henry-Francis and Zane Monlouis spotted in Arsenal training
Josh Nichols was among the academy players spotted in training, the 18-year-old full-back pictured giving chase to Leandro Trossard.
(L-R) Josh Nichols and Leandro Trossard of Arsenal during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on December 13, 2024 in London Colney,...
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal academy centre-back Zane Monlouis was also spotted in the training session, while young Gunners midfielders Max Dowman and Jack Henry-Francis also featured among the seniors.
Who is Arsenal academy defender Josh Nichols?
Nichols is an 18-year-old defender who is a regular in the Arsenal Under-21 setup and has 13 outings to his name this term.
He made his Arsenal debut senior earlier this season, featuring in the Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers.
The Arsenal website has described Nichols as a ‘flying full-back who can operate on the right or the left’.
Meanwhile, Jeorge Bird has described him as a “hard-working” full-back and an “impressive reader of the game who has good pace”.
Back in August, Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus tipped Nichols to have his breakthrough campaign at the club this season.
Earlier this year The Evening Standard named Nichols in their list of the 50 youngsters regarded as ‘the best academy stars’ across London.
They wrote that Nichols has been adapting his game to play like Ben White, namely an inverted full-back.
(L-R) Zane Monlouis, Raheem Sterling and Jorginho of Arsenal during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on December 13, 2024 in Lond...
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Who is Arsenal academy defender Zane Monlouis?
Meanwhile, Monlouis is a 21-year-old defender who also plies his trade with Arsenal’s Under-21s and captains them at times.
He joined the Gunners’ Hale End setup in May 2012 and signed his first professional contract in October 2020.
Monlouis has been described by Arsenal’s website as a ‘ball-playing central defender’ who is ‘cool and composed’.
Meanwhile, Gunners youth team expert Jeorge Bird has described him as a centre-back with ‘impressive technical ability’.
Monlouis was loaned to Reading in the second half of last season, but he only made one five-minute cameo for the Royals.
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