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Striker Confirms He’ll Hold Talks With Wenger This Summer

By on April 1, 2014

On-loan Arsenal striker Benik Afobe has confirmed he’ll hold talks with Arsene Wenger about his future at the end of the season.

Afobe has been with the club his entire life after joining the Arsenal academy as a six-year-old and impressed during his youth career in the under-16’s and under-18’s, where he had a scoring rate of almost a goal a game.

He signed his first professional contract in 2010 and was even linked with a move to Barcelona before he committed his future to the club.

His first team debut eventually came in 2011 when he impressed in the Emirates Cup against New York Red Bulls, but the 21-year-old has since spent the last three years out on loan and is currently enjoying a stint at Sheffield Wednesday where he scored a consolation during a 4-1 defeat to Watford on Saturday.

Afobe has just one year left on his current contract and speaking to the Sheffield Wednesday official website on Monday, the youngster confirmed he’ll sit down and speak with Arsene about his future when he returns to Arsenal at the end of the season.

“It’s been very easy to settle in from day one. The boys have been good to me. The gaffer, the coaching staff and the fans have all taken to me so it has been pretty easy.

“My main aim when I got injured was to get fit and go out on loan in January or February, as I have done, and play as many games as I can.

“I’ll return to Arsenal in pre-season and sit down with the boss and see where I can go from there.

“I’ve got another year left at Arsenal but at the moment I’m just concentrating on the next seven games for Sheffield Wednesday.”

Many at the club had high hopes for Afobe when he was a teenager but he’s not really pushed on to the next level. He’s yet to make his senior debut for Arsenal and has scored just 12 goals in 64 games while on loan at various clubs in recent years.

At 21, you’d expect him to have made at least some impact at the Emirates by now, particularly with the amount of opportunities Arsene gives to young players, so it seems this could be a pivotal summer in his future.

He’s an Arsenal boy through and through so I’d love to see him make it at the club, but with the fans expecting big-name signings up front this summer and the pressure put on young strikers these days, I’m not sure Afobe is going to get many first team opportunities next season.

Another loan is likely but whether he’ll be able to earn himself another contract at Arsenal or if he’ll have to leave on a permanent basis remains to be seen.

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