Tottenham v Arsenal: Rising Stars to Watch

21 September 2010 10:55
As Tottenham prepare to take on north London rivals Arsenal in the Carling Cup, Daniel Jolly takes a look at the young talent that will be on show at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham

Steven Caulker: A product of the Spurs youth system, Caulker signed his first professional contract in July 2009 at the age of just 17. Alongside team-mates Ryan Mason and Jonathan Obika he went on loan to League One side Yeovil Town, starting 44 games and took four out of five of the Glovers' end of season awards.

Sandro: The 21-year-old was signed from Brazilian side Internacional for a reported fee of £8m in the summer, without manager Harry Redknapp even seeing him play. He has been likened to legendary compatriot Socrates and made his full national team debut in September 2009, after captaining the under-20s side.

Kyle Naughton: A native of the steel city, Naughton made his league debut for Sheffield United in September 2008 against Norwich City, virtually becoming an ever-present for the rest of the campaign and appearing in the PFA Championship team of the year. Naughton and fellow full-back Kyle Walker attracted interest from a plethora of Premier League clubs including Everton, but chose Spurs in a £10m double deal.

Arsenal

Benik Afobe: Seventeen-year-old Afobe's talent was spotted at the age of six when he joined their academy. In three seasons, he has netted a combined total of 72 goals at youth level and signed a professional contract in February 2010 after reported overtures from Barcelona. He equalled Michael Owen's England under-16s record in 2008 scoring four goals in three games.

Chuks Aneke: A powerful box-to-box midfielder, Aneke made his breakthrough into the reserve team last season at the tender age of 16. Arsene Wenger branded him as 'technically perfect' and he signed scholarship forms in July 2009 and youth strikers like Luke Freeman and Roarie Deacon have credited him as being an integral reason for their goal tallies reaching double figures in recent campaigns.

Jay-Emmanuel Thomas: A versatile attacking midfielder, Emmanuel-Thomas captained the Gunners 2009 Youth Cup winning side scoring in every round. After signing a professional contract in 2008, he made his first-team debut in a fourth round FA cup tie against Stoke City as part of a three-man attack. He caught the eye in a loan spell with Doncaster Rovers last season, where he showed a good eye for goal, scoring five times in 14 appearances.

Source: DSG