Butler-Oyedeji rewarded for years of hard work

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For most people, last night’s victory against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League may not have been the most memorable encounter.

For Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, however, it was an occasion that he has been dreaming of throughout his 14 years as an academy player at Arsenal as he made his first appearance for the club at senior level.

The progression of Butler-Oyedeji (who featured as a late substitute) hasn’t been as smooth as that of some of the club’s other academy graduates.

To put matters into context, Butler-Oyedeji was part of Arsenal’s scholarship intake in 2019 along with Miguel Azeez, a player who featured for the Gunners at first-team level in 2020.

Butler-Oyedeji, in contrast, had to wait until 2025 for his Arsenal debut but he has certainly earned his opportunity.

The 22-year-old has frequently been called up to the first-team squad in recent weeks and has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers at U21 level this season, registering seven goals and six assists in nine Premier League 2 matches.

That came off the back of loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Cheltenham Town in which he failed to find the net.

Despite the difficulties that he has endured, Butler-Oyedeji, who can play as a striker or a winger, has constantly sought to develop and he has now taken a major step forwards.

Even if he ends up leaving Arsenal permanently in the near future, Butler-Oyedeji will always be able to say that he played for the club in the Champions League and he certainly worked extremely hard to get to that point.

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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird

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