Mikel Arteta has named rapid young striker with 'much flair' in Arsenal squad for tonight's Atalanta clash - journalist
Today at 10:00 AM
Arsenal will soon contest their first Champions League encounter of the season as they prepare to face Atalanta in Bergamo on Thursday night.
The Gunners are currently in a good place, at least as far as their results are concerned, as they bounced back from their Brighton draw by winning the North London derby.
Arsenal now have 10 points from their opening four Premier League games of the season and they'll hope they can take this momentum into the Champions League.
The Gunners are expected to name a strong starting XI for the game against Atalanta, but there could well be some changes with an eye on Sunday’s Manchester City clash.
Now, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Mikel Arteta has named one of the most in-form Arsenal academy players in the matchday squad.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji set to make Arsenal matchday squad v Atalanta
The player in question is Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, who captains the Gunners’ Under-21s and has been in great form for them.
O’Rourke took to X with the update on the 21-year-old, who was recently named the Premier League 2 Player of the Month for August.
Who is Nathan Butler-Oyedeji?
Butler-Oyedeji is a 21-year-old forward who plies his trade for Arsenal, having joined the club back in 2011 at eight years of age.
The Arsenal website describes him as a ‘pacey forward who can operate both centrally and from wide areas’.
Meanwhile, Arsenal youth team expert Jeorge Bird says Butler-Oyedeji is a player who ‘possesses much flair’.
He has registered four goals and two assists from three Premier League 2 outings this season.
Butler-Oyedeji has also taken in two loan spells while on Arsenal’s books.
He played for Accrington Stanley in the second half of the 2022/23 season, before turning out for Cheltenham in the first half of 2023/24.
When and where will Arsenal play Atalanta?
Atalanta v Arsenal is scheduled to kick off at 8pm BST at Bergamo's Gewiss Stadium on Thursday 19 September 2024.
