Arsenal recently called up youth players to train with the first team, and one of them is Daniel Oyetunde, who joined Arsenal Youth at the age of 13 and has grown in stature over the past four years.
“Arsenal have invited 17-year-old striker Oyetunde to train with the first-team,” TBR Football reported on Tuesday, heralding the birth of a new soccer star.
According to the outlet, Oyetunde once wowed Arsenal scouts at English semi-professional club Cheshunt by scoring goals and leading the team to a league title.
Oyetunde was then invited to try out for Arsenal at the age of 13, and was reportedly deemed to be such an incredible talent that the eight-week trial was cut short after just four weeks.
Oyetunde’s progress at Arsenal was so impressive that Arsenal first-team coach Mikel Arteta wanted to see him in action. On the eve of the 2023/24 English Premier League Round of 14 match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arteta brought Oyetunde to the first-team training ground to watch him train with the players. A photo posted by Arsenal themselves showed Oyetunde chasing down Ben White and trying to win the ball.
What’s unusual is that Oyetunde is a fourth-year Arsenal prospect, but his “fan heart” is with their London rivals.
“I’ve been a Chelsea fan for a long time,” he said in an interview published on the club’s official website, “The first soccer match I saw was the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League semifinal in 2012. It was a match between Chelsea and Barcelona, and Chelsea forward Fernando Torres scored a goal,” he recalled.
Oyetunde was born in November 2006, according to football transfer platform Transfermarkt. The match was the second leg of the Champions League semifinals in April 2012, so Oyetunde had been playing soccer since the age of five.
“I’m a striker and a Chelsea fan, so Didier Drogba is my idol,” Oyetunde said. “He was a great player who could change the course of a game. His ability to score theater goals, especially in big games, will always be remembered.”
It’s significant to remember that Drogba was particularly strong for Arsenal during his career. The legendary striker won 10, drew four and lost one of his 15 games against the Gunners, scoring 13 of them and providing three assists. 토토사이트
After Drogba, Oyetunde said Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer (228 goals) Thierry Henry is also a role model. “I used to watch Henri’s highlight reels, he was amazing in his prime,” he said, paying tribute to the club’s legend. “I want to be like both him and Drogba,” he added.
He has also been linked to Tottenham Hotspur, who he considers Arsenal’s biggest rival. “A year before my trial with Arsenal, Tottenham also offered me a trial,” he said in an interview. However, Tottenham did not offer Oyetunde a contract. Oyetunde then scored his debut goal and an assist in the North London derby against Tottenham’s youth team, helping the Gunners to a 2-1 victory. A little bit of revenge.
Oyetunde is a youngster the Gunners have their eye on. He had already made his debut for the U-18s and his U-21s a week apart while playing for the U-16s. That’s two staircases in one month.
“I really want to score double figures in the Youth League this season, and next season I want to play in the UEFA Youth League (Champions League for U-19s) or the U-21s,” Oyetunde said.
Arsenal’s youngest ever player to make an appearance was Ethan Nwaneri, who was 15 years and five months old when he made his debut against Brentford in 2022, and their youngest ever goalscorer was Cesc Fabregas, who was 16 years and six months old when he scored against Wolves in 2003.
It will be interesting to see if Oyetunde can make his debut for Arsenal’s first team in the near future and become a part of the club’s history.