How Alex Iwobi is justifying his new contract

On August 3 2018, Arsenal announced the extension of young Nigerian winger Alex Iwobi's contract until 2022.

The 22-year old, who has come up through the youth ranks at the Gunners' Hale End academy was described by new boss Unai Emery as a "great example of a player who can succeed from the academy". Tying down the youngster for the long-term is fantastic news, given that Iwobi is still only 22 and has lots of talent and potential to grow.

Iwobi made his Arsenal senior debut as a late substitute against Swansea City away in the Premier League in October 2015, after an excellent pre-season with good performances especially in the Emirates Cup. In the same season, he scored his first goal against Everton away in March 2016.

The winger made 39 appearances in all competitions last season, making 22 starts in a total of 26 appearances in the league scoring 3 and assisting 5 goals. He also went to the World Cup with Nigeria but made only one start and two late substitute appearances in the 3 games the Super Eagles played before being eliminated in the group stages.

It became certain though that Iwobi would be part of the first-team squad for the 2018-19 season, after the sale of Lucas Perez to West Ham and the loan of Reiss Nelson to Hoffenheim. Given Emery's preferred formation being either a 4-2-3-1, a success during his time at Sevilla, or the 4-3-3 at PSG, Iwobi fits into the system as a left-sided winger.

Iwobi is the only natural winger in the squad, however, Emery has also deployed Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the wings, but they tend to drift infield most of the time. Iwobi though is more direct in his approach when he receives the ball at his feet, looking to run at the full-backs and get in crosses. The youngster's ball retention is also very good often showing good skill to hold on the ball, a trait which he might have inherited from his legendary uncle Jay-Jay Okocha.

Iwobi was an unused sub in Unai Emery's debut game against champions Man City but was a surprise starter in the trip to Chelsea the next week. The winger seemed to justify his manager's decision with an impressive performance and a first goal of the season. Iwobi started the next home game against West Ham as well, playing 45 minutes, but illness meant he did not feature in the next 2 games against Cardiff and Newcastle.

The Nigerian was back in the starting line-up for the Europa League opener against Ukrainian side Vorskla and put in another impressive showing. In a disappointing first half for the Gunners, Iwobi was probably their best player on the pitch, making excellent runs in-behind the fullbacks and looking to run at the defence whenever possible. He also showed great vision with a brilliant first-time pass to pick out Aubameyang for Arsenal's opening goal in the match.

It's still very early days but the start the youngster has made to the new season and the promise he has shown excites Arsenal fans about the prospect of having a potential superstar within their club.

Although Iwobi might not be the first name on the teamsheet every week, given the competition for places, there exist opportunities in other competitions like the Europa League or the EFL Cup that might earn him a place into the Premier League starting eleven.

Arsenal fans will no doubt be hoping that him being one of their own manages to do that and be an integral part of the team's success.