18 Apr 2016

'I'm excited about him': Arsenal Legend hails 'brilliant' Liverpool attacker for Bournemouth performance

Last week, Sheyi Ojo delivered a 'really brilliant' assist for Daniel Sturridge during his Premier League debut for Liverpool, and the 18-year old attacker put in another impressive performance against Bournemouth on Sunday, prompting effusive praise from Arsenal legend Ian Wright.

Analysing Liverpool's 2-0 victory on Match of the Day, Wright hailed Ojo for his 'beautiful left-foot', and further raved:

"He [Ojo] has got this calm demeanour about him. I am so excited about him and want to see what he's like in bigger games, more intensified".

It's very early days yet for Ojo, but given the fact he's British, the hype and overpraise is only just beginning.

If Ojo displays even a modicum of consistency over the next year, the hyperbole will be far worse than Wright's comparatively tame praise. The question is, will Ojo end up like Raheem Sterling, or Jordon Ibe?

Sterling developed into a decent player for the Reds, and ultimately earned a big-money £49m transfer to Man City (despite regular goal droughts). Ibe's development has (arguably) stalled this season, and after bursting onto the scene in a hail of superlatives, he hasn't yet scaled the heights many expected.

This season, for example, Ibe has contributed a goal every 652 minutes, and an assist every 489 minutes, which is poor, especially for a player granted significant playing time over the last year. If Ojo wants to usurp Ibe in the team, then end product is all that matters, and he's surely capable of improving on Ibe's figures.

Of course, the pressure shouldn't be on an 18-year old to make the difference for Liverpool, but if Ojo contributes goals/assists on a regular basis, then Klopp will have no choice but to keep him in the match-day squad, and that can only be good for his development.

Author: Jaimie K


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