Five young players to watch in Arsenal's tour of Asia

It was a bizarre season for Wenger and his men. The season started brightly but started to fizzle out midway. Nevertheless, Arsenal still managed to finish above North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs

Moving forward, now the Gunners are off to Asia for their pre-season tour.

For us, a lot of first team players like Giroud and Chamberlain along with youngsters such as Chuba Akpom and Ryo Miyaichi will be hoping to have an impact.

The Gunners have named several youngsters in the preseason squad – promising midfielders Kristoffer Olsson and Gedion Zelalem have been included in the travelling party.

Chuks Aneke, Thomas Eisfeld and Serge Gnabry have also made the trip, but there is no place for Nico Yennaris and Damian Martinez in the squad who have been left home and will take on Conference South Side, Sutton United today.

So, these are the five guys we should have an eye on:

1) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

We start with the former Saints man. The perilous winger is known for his agility and guile to tear down opposition defences. He had a remarkable second season at the Arsenal Football Club but fizzled out in his second season.

Chamberlain made 25 appearances in the league this season, out of which only 11 were starts and contributed to a mere four goals for The Gunners this season, scoring one and assisting three. The former Saints man ended the season on a high with a top notch performance against Newcastle in a defensive midfield role.

The 2013 – 2014 season will be a colossal season for the young winger. Chamberlain will be hoping to make a mark during Arsenal’s preseason tour.

2) Aaron Ramsey

This will seem like an outlandish inclusion to most of you. For me, Ramsey has to be on this list – simply because he needs to go forward from here if he is to become a world class player. The Welshman started the season poorly, but since the turn of the year, he has been one of the best Arsenal players.

Ramsey has cemented his place in the side alongside Spaniard Mikel Arteta in holding midfield. This is a job Ramsey has always fancied to do. He loves the club and always puts in his best on the pitch.

3) Chuba Akpom

The teenage striker has caught the eye of many and has earned many plaudits this season. Adding to that, Chuba is Arsenal through and through. He loves the club and has the potential to become a top class striker.

Akpom had a remarkable 12/13 season at the North London club. The teenage sensation ended the season on a high by scoring 12 goals in his last 10 appearances and taking his goal tally of the season up to 20 goals in 24 games over all.

This summer he will hope to get some chances and grab some goals for the first team.

4) Serge Gnabry

The young German has already received many plaudits for his pre-season performances for The Gunners last season, and he even made several appearances for the Arsenal first team.

Gnabry has had an imposing season at the club and is one of the pinnacle talents at the club. The young German forward will be looking to get some game time during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia and a steady pre-season could be the harbinger.

5) Ryo Miyaichi

Initially, I had planned to reserve this spot for Gedion Zelalem, but then on second thought came to the conclusion that this parlous winger should be included in this article.

Ryo had a good loan spell at Bolton, but his time at Wigan was mostly injury ravaged and he never really got a good run of games at Wigan.

Ryo has always had the talent and the other ingredients to become a top player, but it has never really clicked for him. This is his chance to shine at his homeland, and he will hope to put all his injury woes aside.