Unless you follow what goes on in the Arsenal youth teams, the name Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko will mean very little to you.
The 16-year-old, born in Basildon to a Russian mother and a Colombian father, is the starting goalkeeper for the Gunners’ U16s, and was recently invited by Mikel Arteta to train with the first-team.
That happened last week, most likely due to a chunk of the squad being away on international duty, but it was an opportunity for the youngster to show what he can do and showcase his talent to the seniors.
What came of that session isn’t said in the article written by CNN about Fedorushchenko, but it’s clear the promising talent has a lot of ambition, making his future intentions very clear.
He said: “On Monday, my manager called my father and told him Mikel Arteta had decided to invite me to train with the first-team squad. I arrived on Tuesday to train with them and spoke Spanish with Mikel, who gave me very good comments.
“Many will think that I was excited, for me it was something different. I went to train with the first-team on Tuesday to show Mikel and the club why one day I am going to be the starting goalkeeper of Arsenal FC”.
Only time will tell whether that happens, but there’s no denying the determination in the 16-year-old, who will have, down the line, to likely displace Aaron Ramsdale, who is the current starter for the Gunners.
