re: Arsenal 2013/2014 Season Long Thread

I'm certain he was going to feature in 2010, when he played against Boca Juniors in the Emirates Cup. He certainly was never as talented as Wilshere, but he filled a very specific role, a role we've been trying to fill since Flamini left. Who knows what would have happened if he stayed healthy, as I've never seen a player of his age as strong as he was. Remember Riquelme, of all people, singled him out for praise.

If anything, the talent was there, but the mentality and luck wasn't. He's a hot-head on the field, but part of it was that he tried to do too much rather than let the game come to him. He could have been PL quality within a couple of years, if he progressed. He was about as good as Alex Song was at 19, maybe a little better, but Song had few long term injuries and had a better mentality, which allowed him to develop into a good midfielder.