English-born Ghanaian forward Charles Sagoe Jr, has been selected as part of Arsenal’s under-21 players to shine at the upcoming Dubai Super Cup.
Mikel Arteta named a 27-man travelling party for the trip to the UAE, 13 of which are made up of players who have impressed for Mehmet Ali’s side during this season, who currently sit top of Premier League 2.
Ahead of Arsenals games against Lyon and AC Milan (find out how to stream them live), here is everything you need to know about those players looking to make an impact:
43. Nathan Butler-Oyedeji
Born: 04/01/2003
Joined: May 2011
A versatile and dynamic forward, Nathan is capable of playing anywhere across the front line, using his explosive pace to devastating effect when running at defenders. He stepped up to under-23 football last term, making 11 appearances in Premier League 2, and featured in all six Premier League 2 Cup games. An Arsenal player from the age of eight, he signed his first pro contract in 2021 and is the top scorer for the under-21s this term with six goals in all competitions.
44. Catalin Cirjan
Born: 01/12/2002
Joined: July 2019
Technically sound with an eye for a pass, Catalin likes to get forward from midfield, and can also play out wide. Previously with Viitorul Domnesti in his home country of Romania, he is a youth international, and signed a new contract with us in July 2022, and has been named on the bench four times during our current Europa League campaign.
50. Taylor Foran
Born: 14/10/2003
Joined: May 2012
A vocal central defender with real leadership qualities, Taylor was a regular for the under-18s last term, starting 26 times in the academy league, helping the side finish fourth. He also played twice each for the under-23s and the under-21s in the EFL Trophy, and was rewarded for an impressive season with his first professional contract in July 2022.
53. Hubert Graczyk
Born: 28/02/2003
Joined: August 2017
Polish goalkeeper Hubert played six times for the under-23s last season after missing the first half of the campaign through injury. He showed real athletic ability between the posts with impressive displays in Premier League 2. Hubert has previously represented England at youth level, but most recently represented Poland under-19s. Comfortable with the ball at his feet, Hubert is now in his sixth season at the club, after joining from the Everton youth setup aged 14.
56. James Hillson
Born: 14/01/2001
Joined: July 2019
The goalkeeper signed at the start of the 2019/20 season after a successful short-term loan from previous side Reading. He regularly trains with the first-team keepers, and has also been on the bench in the Europa League on two occasions – against Slavia Prague in 2020/21, and our last outing against FC Zurich last month.
63. Zane Monlouis
Born: 16/10/2003
Joined: 14/05/2012
A physically impressive centre-back with plenty of pace and a high technical level, Zane was a regular for the under-23s at the start of the season, before injury brought an early end to his campaign. An England under-17 international, Zane was a regular for our under-18s before stepping up to Premier League 2 football, and has developed rapidly since joining the Hale End Academy aged eight.
71. Charles Sagoe Jr
Born: 24/07/2004
Joined: July 2015
A livewire attacking player who can operate either as an offensive midfielder or on the wing, Charles Jr was one of the standout performers at under-18 level last season with 10 goals from 29 appearances. Genuinely two-footed, Charles – who joined our Hale End Academy from Fulham in 2015 – put pen to paper on his professional contract in July 2022, and has four goals to his name for the under-21s so far this season.
72. Matt Smith
Born: 05/10/2000
Joined: May 2009
The current captain of our under-21 side, the technically gifted central midfielder boasts an impressive passing range, who captained the under-18s to Premier League South title in 2019. Matt gained further experience of senior football last season on loan at Doncaster Rovers in League One, building on his previous stints with Swindon Town (2020) and Charlton Athletic (2021). Matt has been named on the bench for the first-team on several occasions, including seven times so far this season as well as the 2020 FA Cup final win against Chelsea at Wembley.
81. Myles Lewis-Skelly
Born: 26/09/2006
Joined: July 2015
An England youth international at under-16 and under-17 level, Myles made his under-18 bow back in May 2021 when he scored against Reading. The central midfielder has stepped up to feature for the under-21s in the Papa Johns Trophy and the Premier League International Cup this season.
83. Ethan Nwaneri
Born: 21/03/2007
Joined: July 2015
The youngest player in our history made his Premier League debut against Brentford in September aged 15 years and 181 days, breaking the league record in the process. Capped by England at under-16 and under-17 level, the central midfielder has been at the club since the age of nine, and made his under-18 team debut in May 2021 before progressing to the under-21s this campaign.
85. Amario Cozier-Duberry
Born: 29/05/2005
Joined: October 2019
Amario enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at under-18 level last term and showed real versatility, featuring as both an attacking midfielder and wing-back. He joined our Hale End academy aged 14 and has been capped at England under-16 level, scoring on his debut against Wales. Amario put pen to paper on his first professional contract in June 2022, and earned a spot on the bench in our Europa League trip to FC Zurich in September. He has netted four times during this campaign for the under-21s.
96. Lino Sousa
Born: 15/01/2005
Joined: December 2021
A dynamic left-back, Lino made an instant impact at under-18 level after joining us from West Bromwich Albion midway through last season. He was quickly escalated into the under-23s, and was named on the first-team bench for the Premier League game against Brentford in September. Lino has represented England at both under-15 and under-16 level and remains eligible to represent Portugal.
97. Reuell Walters
Born: 16/12/2004
Joined: October 2020
A determined and attacking right-back who is also comfortable on the right of a back three, Reuell enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at under-23 level last season, making 16 appearances in the Premier League 2 while still a first-year scholar. The England youth international was the only non-first-team squad player on our summer tour to the USA and also started the pre-season friendly win over Nurnberg in Germany.
