Arsenal youth prospect Daniel Oyetunde opened up on his journey, including the part where Tottenham snubbed the chance to sign him.
Arsenal are running a series on their official website where they document the journeys of their academy stars. The Hale End Academy has produced some notable names in the last few years, including Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, and Reiss Nelson. These are the players in contention under Mikel Arteta.
Then, some made a mark here but left the club to ply their trade elsewhere. Those include Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Chuba Akpom, and Folarin Balogun, who recently joined Monaco. These stars show how strong Arsenal’s academy can get. More players, including wonderkids Ethan Nwaneri and Charlie Patino, are coming through the ranks.
Another name that could make a big mark on the club’s future is Daniel Oyetunde. The teenage striker has impressed the youth coaches despite only joining in July after an overwhelmingly successful trial at the club.
Like many others, the Arsenal youth prospect opened up on his journey through different phases of his life so far. He spoke about many things, and we chose the bits where he revealed which strikers he looks up to. He also told how Tottenham snubbed the opportunity to sign him, as the story is available on Arsenal’s official website.
💬 "Football brings me an underlying peace and it allows me to express myself using my feet."
🗞️ Get to know Daniel Oyetunde in our latest Young Gun feature 👇
— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) September 12, 2023
While revealing how he was a Chelsea fan, Oyentunde also named the two strikers he admired for improving his game. He said, “As a Chelsea fan and striker, I looked up to the likes of Didier Drogba – he was such a brilliant striker and a big-game player who will always be remembered for his clutch goals.”
“However, I also watched a lot of Thierry Henry’s highlights and was just amazed at how good he was in his prime. I try to mold my game on both Drogba and Henry.”
Then he spoke about how the move to Arsenal came about while insisting the snub from Tottenham after a trial helped him settle in at the Gunners when they offered him the chance to train.
Oyetunde continued, “The move to Arsenal came about when I was in Year 9. I’d been playing for Cheshunt FC, and we won the league that season with me scoring plenty of goals – what a great season that was! After that, I had a few academies interested in seeing me play, including Arsenal. They offered to let me train with one of the scouts in a one-on-one session. Then I started an eight-week trial with Arsenal under-15s in time for their pre-season.”
“I wasn’t too nervous because I’d been on trial at Tottenham a year earlier, so I knew what to expect. Even though I was never offered a contract there, it gave me the opportunity to experience the level of ability I needed to have if I wanted to succeed at an academy.”
“My trial here started off on the right footing. In our first game against Crystal Palace, I managed to get two assists and then within four weeks of my eight-week trial, I was offered a contract at the club.”
Since joining the club, Oyetunde has made a big impression on his coaches and teammates. In the three U18 Premier League games he’s played, the Arsenal youth prospect has already scored and assisted. Many believe he will have a big future at the club if he keeps improving.