There is a lot of doubt surrounding Arsenal’s academy which is not looking nearly as good as it looked a couple of years ago. Even though several of the youngsters who are rated among the best prospects in the UK are being raised in North London, games like the ones against Wednesday tend to prove predictions wrong. This is a valid statement for clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool or United as well who barely remember when they had 2-3 home-grown players to dominate their position like Fabregas did for Arsenal back in the day.

Unfortunately, even Arsenal’s most promising young player is not able to make a name for himself in League One. Dan Crowley, who was sent to Barnsley to get ready for the Premier League, seems to have taken a step back after the club’s manager decided to send him back 2 months before his loan deal expired. The 18-year-old has made 12 appearances since leaving Arsenal in July and only managed a goal and an assist. It is unexpected to see him have no impact on Barnsley where he was expected to become an assist leader who leads the team to victory. According to the Daily Mail, Crowley could also lose a future call-up to England’s U19 squad as it is hard to believe he will turn things around without having a team to perform for on a regular basis.

There might still be some hope though, which strangely emerged from Arsenal’s unfortunate mishap against Sheffield Wednesday. Krystian Bielik, despite being just 17, looked good on the pitch. Most say he is the only name worth mentioning out of the numerous debutants Wenger used in the Capital One Cup. With a little help he could definitely have a future similar to that of Bellerin who at 20 years of age, is Wenger’s number one pick as a right-back.