One of the most enjoyable aspects of following youth football is seeing the progress made by youngsters as they strive to become successful and Ismeal Kabia has certainly developed very well over the past year.
Last season Kabia established himself as a key figure in the Arsenal U21 side and also made his competitive debut for the first-team as a substitute against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.
The winger has always been known for his speed and dangerous crosses but he is starting to show improvements in other aspects of his game, especially with regards to his technical ability.
One criticism that you could perhaps level at Kabia last season was his end product – he scored just one goal and provided two assists in 12 Premier League 2 appearances.
However, he is already off the mark for the new campaign having scored in the 3-2 defeat against Fulham.
Kabia also scored a superb goal in a pre-season friendly against Monaco II and is now much stronger physically than he was previously.
With his previous deal having been set to expire at the end of the season there was some uncertainty regarding the 19-year-old’s future. However, Kabia has now signed a new contract and seems well equipped for a loan spell.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will be able to find a suitable loan club for Kabia before the end of the transfer window, but it surely wouldn’t help his development too much if he was to remain with the U21s for the first half of the campaign.
Kabia is ready to test himself in senior football and it will be intriguing to see how much of an impact he can make.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird