Pre-season friendlies can always bring around excellent opportunities for us to get glimpses of promising young players, its fascinating to see how they adapt in the unknown surroundings of the first team, some playing in unfamiliar positions just to get a chance to show what they can do.
That opportunity came knocking this week for U23s midfielder Ben Cottrell, who was thrown on for the last 30 minutes of the friendly against MK Dons and placed in the surprising position of Left Wing Back. Ben took this in his stride and made use of the small window to showcase his technical ability and his willingness to get stuck into challenges despite him being smaller then most of the other players. He looked like the youngest player on the pitch, but his touch was assured and he was not phased by taking part in a senior game.
The call up to the pre-season team comes as no shock, Cottrell has continued his rise at Arsenal through the age groups and has never stopped impressing, this season being named Scholar of the year. Whilst Ben admirably filled in at LWB, by trade he is a versatile midfielder. He's used often in a more attacking role, his low centre of gravity and ability makes him difficult to stop when receiving the ball in the pocket, he loves to drive at defenders and has also displayed his ability to shoot from distance with that magical left foot.
In his earlier years he was used as a winger where his dribbling and playmaking abilities did prove effective. He's also played many games in a deeper midfield role, usually in a double pivot, his fantastic passing ability and prowess as a ball carrier saw him excel in the central areas. The deeper role also helped him become a little more robust, the fruits of this were evident in the MK Dons game as he fearlessly engaged in duels with the apposing winger.
Cottrell has never been short of admirers, before he signed his professional contract with Arsenal he was heavily courted by Borussia Dortmund and Marseille, both would have been tempting destinations but the young Englishman chose to extend his stay in North London.
Cottrell's first minutes for the U18s came at the end of the 17/18 campaign as a 16-year old. The following season was a breakout season in the U18s scoring 6 times with 5 assists, he also managed to make his debut in the PL2. Cottrell played a variety of different positions and working hard to win his place in the side facing competition from the likes of Yunas Musah, Matt Smith and James Olayinka. One of his more notable moments was scoring a last minute winner in a top of the table clash against Spurs to help Arsenal U18s land the League title.
In the 19/20 season his made the step up to play consistently in the PL2, whilst still taking part in some U18 games. There were some initial concerns around him handling the step up in physicality, however it didn't take Ben long to adapt to this new level of football and he was soon impressing with his performances. One of the highlights was laying on an assist for Tyreece John-Jules to score the winner against Southampton. Before the season was curtailed Ben had become a regular playing all the final 3 games.
Ben's playing style could draw comparison with that of Phil Foden. Both left-footed midfielders with great technical capacity, both diminutive ball carriers, weaving in and out of tight spaces, always adding disguises and deception to their passing and movement. What makes them even more dangerous is their versatility, both being able to operate in the channels or centrally, being effective in all phases and quick transitions.
Could he be a Left-Wing Back? unlikely. It's more probable Ben was slotted in to fill a position where Arteta was low on numbers. With Arteta being a coach that loves to test players, I'm sure he was watching closely to see how Ben would answer that challenge. The 18-year old certainly caught the eye with the commitment and desire he displayed during his short time on the pitch, qualities that the Spanish coach loves to see.
So what does the future hold? Ben will carry on his journey in the U23s, likely being deployed in Midfield again. with Tim Akinola being added and Migual Azeez being a big prospect its likely that Ben will see more time as an attacking midfielder, however he will face challenges from Catalin Cirjan and Salah-Eddine. Given the shortage of wide players in the U23s Ben may see some action on the flanks, but wherever he plays you know you will get the same levels of quality and consistency.
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