From Hollywood Bowl to Hitchin Town (vs Arsenal U18s)
From Arsenal's America tour to Arsenal Academy - a flight covering 5,412 miles from exuberant Los Angeles to Saturday's friendly clash at the top of my road at Hitchin's Top Field
Hello, Happy Saturday!
I’m writing this in the early hours of Saturday morning after a gruelling overnight flight from LA back to Blighty as the jet-lag kicks in.
It’s been an incredible two weeks mixed with work and pleasure in effervescent, exuberant, exciting, mesmerising, can-do Los Angeles, a city bursting with positivity and energy and surprises.
Later I’ll be covering Arsenal U18s at Hitchin Town, in a game which, ironically, will be my shortest trip of the season (a five minute walk from my front door) via, of course, a flight covering 5,412 miles.
From the Hollywood Bowl to Hitchin Town, as it were.
The world famous Hollywood Bowl. CREDIT:
Arsenal’s pre-season America tour
I took in two of Mikel Arteta’s three match US tour.
I covered the Gunners opening draw against Bournemouth at LA Galaxy (complete with statue of David Beckham outside), and I attended Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United with the family, because, well, it’s a long season, and making Arsenal memories with my loved ones doesn’t happen as much as it should with me in the press box.
Which is another reason I didn’t fly across the States for the Liverpool game, because I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch one of my all-time music heroes live at the Hollywood Bowl.
Even now, a few days later, I’m still pinching myself after having watched Bob Dylan play at the iconic 17,500 open air theatre nestled in the Hollywood Hills, with (part) of the world famous Hollywood sign looking down upon us.
Chances like that simply don’t come along too often, or as the iconoclastic Dylan once sang: “Everything passes/Everything changes/Just do what you think you should do.”
For those of you who enjoy my travel writing, I plan to write a nice, big long piece on my experiences in the City of Angels over the next few days.
Arsenal players who impressed in the US - Ethan Nwaneri’s rise
I thought the talented Ethan Nwaneri looked fresh and lively, hungry and hopeful.
One of the features of the tour was the fact that Arteta took 12 academy youngsters on the tour, providing an invaluable insight into the first team. And of those talented dozen, Nwaneri was the standout star.
I was there (covering the game high up on the Brentford gantry) when Nwaneri made history back September 2022 by becoming the youngest ever player to feature for Arsenal - and in the Premier League - at just 15 years and 181 days away at Brentford.
Last term he came off the bench during Arsenal’s 6-0 rout at West Ham, with Arteta admitting afterwards his players were desperate to see the talented youngster feature.
So, in late July in the town of Carson, on the outskirts of LA, Nwaneri started vs Bournemouth on the flank at LA Galaxy, while featuring against United in midfield - which included his assist for Jesus’ opener in the space age SoFi - prior to replacing Havertz against Liverpool in Philly for the last 20 minutes.
I haven’t heard anything regarding Nwaneri going out on loan this season, which means Arteta clearly has big plans for the Enfield-born attacker with ice in his veins and a mature presence, far beyond his tender years.
We should be licking our lips at the anticipation of such an exciting young player who could be on the verge of a breakthrough season.
While he might be a year or two short of that just yet - and we certainly don’t want to put undue pressure on him, his skill, temperament and technique mark him out as a true prospect.
All he needs are games now. To hone his capability into know-how.
Ayden Heaven
The raw but talented defender travelled with the first team squad to the Champions League Round of 16 tie at Porto last season, so knows his way around Arteta’s first team squad.
But to see the precocious teenager look so assured at the heart of the Gunners backline against Bournemouth and Manchester United was as impressive as it was heartening.
Part of the same cohort as the Arsenal intake of Nwaneri and Myles Lewis Skelly, Heaven has already underlined a steely determination to get this far.
A Gunners fan as a kid he spent four years at West Ham between the age of eight an 12 before being discarded. He had a spell on trial at Chelsea shortly afterwards but no offer came.
Thankfully a deal with Arsenal was forthcoming not long after in November 2019, despite Fulham hovering, and the player started his journey at Hale End - no wonder his mum shed tears of joy at Heaven putting pen to paper on a youth contract with the Gunners.
A season of consolidation and progress should follow, with the opportunity to chart the London-born defender’s progress manifold.
I, for one, will be looking to track the self-confessed Theo Walcott fan during UEFA Youth League matches, as well as Premier League 2 games, all things being equal.
The defender will turn 18 next month, and with it, may hopefully even come an autumn first team bow if the stars align in the League Cup or even in the dying moments of a favourable Champions League match.
His remarkably mature and steadfast performances in America certainly merit it.
DAILY LIST:
I - Fight jet lag to walk the five minutes from my house to Top Field for Hitchin Town vs Arsenal U18