Arsenal have enjoyed a stellar campaign so far, in the Premier League anyway. The Gunners have lost just three league matches all season and are currently eight points clear at the summit, albeit with a game in hand over the chasing pack.
All looks rosy at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta, who has had to battle his way to get to this point, but the patience shown by the Arsenal board seems to be paying off. He has developed a wonderful group of players and there have been some fine performances this term.
None more so than Ben White, who has excelled at right-back, notably registering an assist in ther recent win over Crystal Palace.
His form has been even more impressive considering centre-back is his natural position, while Takehiro Tomiyasu has been drafted in as cover when required, although not always impressing.
The Japanese right-back has been on the periphery this term, with White obtaining the starting slot on the right side of the defence. Tomiyasu has played 21 league matches in total, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.68/10, ranking him as the third worst player in the squad judging by overall rating.
Arteta is always looking ahead to the future and there could be a teenage starlet ready to replace Tomiyasu sooner rather than later – Reuell Walters.
The 18-year-old featured in the club's pre-season tour before the campaign got underway and with mounting injuries, was included in the matchday squad when Palace visited the Emirates on Sunday afternoon.
The full-back is clearly well thought of in north London but he could well face competition from Michal Rosiak, another budding Hale End talent.
Who is Michal Rosiak?
The 17-year-old right-back has been with Arsenal since 2016 and signed a scholarship last summer as he begins to make name for himself in the U18 side.
Indeed, this season he has played seven matches in the U18 Premier League, scoring twice and registering five assists, showing his attack-minded nature, something that could be a big bonus for the Spaniard, who loves his full-backs to be able to attack with menace.
He also has three goals in just four FA Youth Cup appearances, meaning he has ten goal contributions in just 12 matches so far in 2022/2023, a quite remarkable number for someone so young.
Reporter Theo Mwangi even praised the Polish starlet last month, saying: “Michal Rosiak is a very good player when inverting and going forward, needs to work on his defensive attributes though.”
That 'inverting' nature is vital to any full-back in Arteta's system with White and Oleksandr Zinchenko having become masters of that role throughout 2022/23.
Indeed, there will be plenty of time to work on that and the defensive side of his game in the coming months for Rosiak, especially with players such as White to look up to and learn from.
Tomiyasu hasn’t made the impression many thought he would have following his arrival in 2021 and with Rosiak developing well in the Hale End academy, he will have to be on his toes.