Former soccer player Paul Merson was a talented player but is maybe as good a pundit or not far off since retiring from the sport.
Speaking on the Premier League this year and some of the new young guns in soccer in the league he told Sky Sports:
“This is an unbelievable story believe me
an unbelievable story my little boys
in the academy at Chelsea you know I see
the academy stuff now that is phenomenal
for that kid to get into Arsenal who’s
like a Rolls-Royce of a football club a
massive football club at 16 years of age
and playing for
Arsenal I just can’t explain how big
that is how big that is you know
goalkeepers you usually become a better
goalkeeper at 25 26 27 and the older you
get these kids are being there at 16
honestly fair play to him he takes a lot
a lot of credit for the hard work he’s
done and fair play to Arsenal for giving
him that belief but that is very rare I
don’t think that probably happens too
often in football a 16 year old makes
their debut for a big big football club
in goal which is wow I honestly
I can’t express how how much effort and
hard work and how talented this kid must
be to be playing in goal at 16 yeah
absolutely that I’m sure he’s very very
proud himself as I’m sure Arsenal are of
of so much youth that they’ve got at the
moment another youngster we want to
shine a spotlight on Ethan I mean he
scored twice he had a couple of Cameo
appearances so far this season as well
but could this be I guess the making of
him he’s a good player the problem is
it’s so so hard it’s hard to go and play
for Arsenal on a consistent basis
especially nowadays when you can go and
get anybody from around the world you
know for this kid to be playing and
these kids to get up given an
opportunity you know a fair play to
Arsenal for giving the opportunity but
at the same time they’re coming into a
good football team they’re coming in
playing with good players that are full
of confidence you know your dream is
are playing that helps sometimes you
find that kids get thrown in when the
team’s struggling and players are
struggling then it’s hard for them
because then you’re looking you think I
rely on the experienced players and
experienced players are not playing well
at the time so they got to look after
themselves it’s it’s clever the way
Arsenal are doing it they putting these
kids in just at the right time when the
team are flying players around them are
full of confidence but you still got to
get on that pitch in front of 60,000 and
Performing fair play to Arsenal and fair
play to him he’s You Hear The Whispers
the kids are special player a special
player he’s just got given the chance
on a consistent basis but he needs to be
patient needs to be patient because he
is one of the best clubs in the world in
my opinion so he needs to be patient uh
we’ve been patiently waiting haven’t we
for Raheem Sterling to to finally get a
goal for Arsenal which he did since you know
his move from Chelsea what have you made
of him so
far yeah I mean it’s going to be over
the season I thought it was a good
signing he didn’t get on the other night
I thought that at Man City I thought
that was a little bit worrying I thought
you know probably Arteta didn’t trust
him as much as Jus but he’s a top player
you know again I like them goals you
know when people are in the six-yard box
and they tap it in people go oh I could
have scored that well you couldn’t have
because you’re not in there you have to
get in there and they’re the goals you
you’re going to score more of them than
not and that’s where Sterling got a lot
of goals for for man city is getting in
the six-yard Box he does get in there
you know and I’m a big fan of Raheem
Sterling’s I was shocked Chelsea
let him go I really was he he was better
than some of the Wingers at Chelsea or
he definitely better than one of them so
for me I was shocked that Chelsea let
him go yeah I’m sure he’ll go on from
there and score a few more and enjoy his
time at arsenal we loved of course the
City Arsenal matchup at the weekend but
goodness me huge huge blow for them
isn’t it with Roder with this um knee
ligament injury now we know it requires
surgery he’s going to be out for an
extended period just how big a blow is
that for City yes they’ve got this huge
Squad but he’s so key for them isn’t he
oh 100% it’s a massive massive loss uh
for for over the season I mean we could
say if all and got injured for a couple
of weeks they could probably get by with
that this man knits everything together
for all the top draw players that
they’ve got he knits it all together
he’s he’s the he’s the main man in my
opinion he’s the one player in the whole
world that gets into every team in the
world he gets into there’s not one
football team that he doesn’t get into I
don’t know another player in the world
that we could say about but him and he
is a massive Miss he might not be missed
over the next three or four or five or
six games but as the season revolves and
over and we get into the new year he
will be he will be missed at times
there’s no doubt and he gets important
goals as well you know we’ve seen that
in the Champions League final this this
man is is phenomenal phenomenal
footballer and you know that was the
major blow for Man City the other day
major blow and for him himself you know
as I say is a special player does though
do you think it changes the way you
maybe look at the title race taking him
out possibly tipping the favor and in
you know towards Arsenal
now I think it brings Arsenal closer
to Man City I think man city were a
little bit ahead of them I think now as
the season revolves and we get into the
new year and without no Rodry I do think
just Man City because I think they just
got a bigger Squad and they got better
players all around with Squad players
but it it’s it’s not far off a heads or
tails it’s not far off a heads or tails
now I mean the one thing we all missed
about last weekend and then the melee
and the time wasting and the sending off
and the last minute goal we’ve got to
remember arsenal were one nil down and
we’re 2-1 up after
every forgets that you know
Arsenal turned that round three four
five years ago Arsenal getting beat
three and four they’re getting destroyed
absolutely destroyed this year different
team completely different team and
I can’t you know off the top of my head it might
have happened a couple weeks ago I can’t
remember but I can’t remember the last
time man city were one n up and two1
down at half time can’t remember it you know I can’t
remember it and for me that’s the one
thing we miss the fight back by Arsenal
to turn that around that just shows you
how far Arsenal will come and they are
majorly in this title race just finally
on this plenty said about the way that
Arsenal I guess went about the game the
The Weekend dark arts has been mentioned
how do you see
it I tell you what we’ll do we’ll go
down to 10 men we’ll open the game up
we’ll get our bellies tickled and we’ll
get beat 6-2 by Man City we’ll go away Pep Guardiola will
come on the Telly and they go I love art
I love the way opens the game up and he
has a go no no Arsenal are phenomenal
phenomenal bar a last minute goal never
really looked like scoring a void of
ideas Man City that shocked me more than
anything you got you got them them
things have been going on since I was
playing you know I remember George
Graham years ago we used to play
Wimbledon and Wimbledon liked to roll
the ball out the goalie rolled the ball
out as far as he could and he’ smash it
to Fashion you and they’d all met belly
round it be on the edge of the box so
Jules Graham used to say go and close
the goalkeeper down when they all push
on the halfway line then just run over
to the corner flag and when the ball
gets headed back out you’ll be offside
and they’ll get a free kick in the
corner flag and that’s what we were
doing that was 30 odd years ago
nothing’s changed nothing’s
changed probably not as bad as that
Haley but that’s what it was like for
us the good old days Paul the good old
days yeah and then George would say go
down you know You’ be under
go down kill the game kill you know kill
the game get the fans quiet you know if
a team are putting us under pressure and
in them days you know you didn’t have to
go off for five seconds or 10 seconds so
yeah it’s been going on for years
absolutely years.”
Some fond memories for Merson there as he sees talent in this new 16-year-old kid.
