Jack Wilshere enjoyed one of his finest evenings at the Emirates on Tuesday, as his Arsenal U18 side reached the FA Youth Cup final.
The Gunners defeated Manchester City 2-1 in extra-time to book their place in the final, where they'll take on either West Ham or Southampton. Arsenal's triumph suggests the future is bright at the Emirates, with the first team targeting the Premier League title.
If Arsenal go on to win the FA Youth Cup, the Class of '23 will forever be known as 'Wilshere's Wizz Kids'. Yet which youngsters should Arsenal fans keep an eye out for? Here, Mirror Football takes a look at six players who could become regulars at Arsenal.
Amario Cozier-Duberry
The 17-year-old winger has played a pivotal role in Arsenal's FA Youth Cup run, scoring five goals and providing two assists in five outings. He's even scored at professional level after finding the net against Northampton and Stevenage in the Papa Johns Trophy.
With stats like that, it's no surprise that Wilshere has compared Cozier-Duberry to Arsenal's current talisman Bukayo Saka. "Amario is very exciting and Mikel likes him," Arsenal's U18 boss told The Athletic ahead of Tuesday night's game.
"He reminds me of Bukayo Saka, plays in the same position as him, needs to get better with his decision-making like Bukayo did, but he’s definitely exciting. In some moments he’s unplayable. You give him the ball and he can make things happen. You can set up a team and have a game plan, but when you’ve got individuals like that you’ve got a chance."
Ethan Nwaneri
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The 16-year-old attacking midfielder hit the headlines in September when he became the youngster player in Premier League history, aged 15 years and 181 days old. Nwaneri was introduced during the dying stages of Arsenal's 3-0 away win against Brentford.
The talent has not featured or made the bench for Arsenal's first-team since, but he remains an exciting talent. "It was a pure gut feeling," said Mikel Arteta when asked about Nwaneri's record-breaking debut. "I met the boy, I really liked what I saw.
"He trained with us a couple of times. I had that feeling yesterday that if the opportunity could come, I would do it. He deserves it. He has been doing great. He is such a big talent we want to keep with us."
Yet Arsenal could end up losing Nwaneri, with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City keeping a close eye on him. The Gunners have already lost one talented youngster to their Stamford Bridge rivals, Omari Hutchinson, since the start of last summer.
Michal Rosiak
The 17-year-old right-back opened the scoring against Man City with a stunning free kick. The delightful goal caught Saka's attention, as Arsenal's reigning Player of the Season shared a clip of it on his Instagram story - accompanied by two fire emojis.
It's not the first moment of magic from Rosiak. The Poland U18 international has scored four goals in the FA Youth Cup this season and is making a similar impact in the U18 Premier League, where he's scored twice and provided five assists... despite being a defender.
Rosiak supported Arsenal as a kid and moved to England aged 10 in 2016. Although he is currently a right-back and claims to be "comfortable" anywhere across the backline, the youngster wants to become a central midfielder and looks up to Emile Smith Rowe.
Rosiak told Arsenal's website, "The way he [Smith Rowe] carries the ball is brilliant, it’s just so hard to get the ball off him! It definitely gives me added motivation to work hard whenever I see Emile, Bukayo Saka or any of the other Hale End graduates score, get an assist, or make a big impression on a match for the first team."
Myles Lewis-Skelly
The 16-year-old midfielder was the centre of attention on Tuesday night, as he headed in the winner for Wilshere's side to send 10,000 fans at the Emirates wild. Lewis-Skelly is yet to make Arteta's bench but has played twice in the Papa Johns Trophy.
The talent is being tipped to make his first-team debut in the near future and has been praised for his versatility, as he can also play at left-back.
Arsenal U21 head coach Mehmet Ali told The Athletic, "As they get older, we need to nail a certain position for them and make it specific in terms of what’s expected from the first team and what that role is, but we have to give them challenges.
"A good footballer can play anywhere on the pitch. You look at some of our first-team players like Bukayo Saka; they don’t always break through playing as a right winger, it might be as a left-back or a centre-forward playing off the sides. They have to be tactically flexible, technically excellent and adaptable to play for Mikel."
Reuell Walters
The 18-year-old defender must have made an impression on Arteta, as he was included on the bench for the recent Premier League victories against Crystal Palace and Leeds. Walters appears to have been promoted due to William Saliba's back injury.
That would suggest the England U19 international is close to making his first-team debut. Walters has featured in every minute of Arsenal's run to the FA Youth Cup final at centre-back, although he can also play at full-back and on the wing.
Walters has already played against a Premier League side after coming on during a friendly against Everton in Baltimore last July. His first-team recognition marks a remarkable rise, as he spent nearly two years out of academy football before joining Arsenal in 2020.
Walters even turned his back on a two-year youth contract with Tottenham, such was his desire to take a break. He told Arsenal's website, "It was a really scary and risky decision, but I knew there was more to come from me and that I needed this break."
That decision is now paying dividends, with Walters firmly on Arteta's radar.
