We’re all familiar with players like Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri, who shone after coming through the Hale End academy.
Arsenal
‘s first team.
We’re also quite conscious of the Arsenal academy alumni who have become reliable Premier League performers at other clubs, like Emiliano Martinez, Alex Iwobi, and Joe Willock.
But what about the one-time Hale End starlets who dropped off the radar? We’ve picked out five Arsenal academy graduates you (probably) didn’t realise are still playing for non-league clubs.
Gavin Hoyte
The son of Wendy Hoyte, a British Olympic sprinter, and the younger brother of Justin, who played for the fringes of The Invincibles, Gavin came onto the scene in the late 2000s. A graduate of Hale End Academy, he managed to make four appearances in the Premier League for Arsenal under manager Arsène Wenger.
The player often found himself out on loan before finally signing with Dagenham & Redbridge following his release from his parent club in 2012. This marked the beginning of a commendable journey through the lower tiers of English football, which led to him representing Trinidad and Tobago at international level about ten years back.
Following his period of movement, he enjoyed a stable five-year tenure at Maidstone United. During this time, he made more than 150 appearances for the team and served as their captain when they were shuttling between the National League South and National League.
The player, who is 34 years old, was let go during the previous summer and has subsequently signed with Folkestone Invicta, a team in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
Craig Eastmond
A member of Arsenal’s Under-18 team that advanced to the 2009 FA Youth Cup final along with players such as Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin, and Jack Wilshere, Eastmond was unable to firmly establish himself within Wenger’s senior squad.
The right-back played four matches in the Premier League for his childhood team but departed for Colchester United in summertime 2013 following an impressive loan spell.
Later, Eastmond firmly established himself with Sutton United, playing a key role during their impressive journey to the FA Cup fifth round in the 2016-17 season and leading them as they secured their first-ever promotion to the Football League in the 2020-21 campaign.
Following his tenure of nine years and more than 300 matches with the team, Eastmond was bid a memorable goodbye last summer. Since then, he has signed with Wealdstone FC.
Samir Carruthers
You may recall the midfielder coming into prominence at Aston Villa around a decade back, playing alongside Jack Grealish.
However, before Carruthers joined Villa’s youth system, he honed his abilities for four years at Hale End during his teenage years. Unlike Grealish, he failed to secure a regular place and was far from achieving a valuation close to £100 million.
In the following years, the midfielder played in the Football League for clubs such as MK Dons, Sheffield United, Oxford United, and Cambridge United before moving to the non-league scene in 2020.
Carruthers has played for Hemel Hempstead Town, Chelmsford, and Dartford, where he returned for a second term last summer.
So far this season, he has netted eight goals for the leaders of the Isthmian League tables.
Alex Kirk
If you were keeping track of Arsenal’s loan players last season, you may have seen Kirk’s significant contribution to Bromley’s promotion to the Football League – a historic achievement for the club as they reached this milestone in their 132-year existence.
The player from Hale End came onto the field as a substitute during the play-off final against Solihull Moors last season, striking the crossbar twice before securing victory through penalty kicks with the help of ex-Arsenal goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman.
After choosing not to offer a permanent contract to the 21-year-old defender following his release from Arsenal during the summer, Bromley decided against it. Instead, Kirk signed with Sutton United of the National League, a team led by ex-Millwall forward Steve Morison.
Tobi Omole
Previously a consistent player for Arsenal’s Under-18s and Under-21s, Omole garnered attention when he chose to sign with fierce adversaries Tottenham after being released in 2020.
The adaptable young player spent two years with Tottenham Hotspur, moving up to first-team training sessions. However, they allegedly turned down a contract offer and were subsequently permitted to leave as a free agent.
During that summer, he became part of League Two’s Crawley Town team; however, securing consistent playing time was challenging for him.
The previous week, he linked up with the previously mentioned Eastmond at Wealdstone FC. On Tuesday, he made his first appearance in a match against Aldershot Town, which ended in a 3-1 loss; he came onto the field from the substitutes’ bench along with recognizable players Mustapha Carayol and Adrian Mariappa. Quite an impressive team they have there.
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TRY A QUIZ:
Could you list Arsenal’s top 25 youngest goal scorers since the year 2000?
