Ryo Miyaichi - A name all defenders will cringe at the sound of

  
    Ryo Miyaichi: A name some of you non-Arsenal fans are unaware of. While some of you don’t know him now, you will in the coming years. And more than that, not only will you know him, but you will fear him.

     Ryo is an 18 year old Japanese winger from Nagoya, Japan. He has represented Japan at the U15, U16, U17, and U19 levels. In all of his 19 appearances for these sides, he has managed to produce a whopping 6 goals. Not bad for a winger!

     In the summer of 2010, Arsenal offered Miyaichi a trial, where he impressed. Arsene Wenger eventually signed him on January 31^st of 2011, saying:

 “We’re delighted that Ryo Miyaichi has joined us. He trialed with us in the summer and has raw ability which has attracted many clubs around the world. “

     Unfortunately, Ryo was unable to get a work permit, as he didn’t play in the required 75% of first team Japanese National team matches, nor could he get a “Special Talent” Visa. This was not a problem though, as Wenger immediately sent Ryo to Dutch outfit Feyenoord. 

     There, Ryo sparkled, and was named man of the match and played 90 minutes in his first match of top flight football. As you can see in the video, he has bundles of talent, giving the Vitesse right back a headache in the second half.

     Ryo continued with his fantastic play, and instantly became a fan favorite at Feyenoord. He scored his first goal against Hercules, and ended the season with three goals in twelve appearances. 

     Ryo returned to Arsenal, and took part in Arsenal's overseas tour of Asia. He started against Malaysia, and came on at halftime against Hangzhou Greentown. In both matches he did well, but still looked raw. 

     Nothing is confirmed yet, but early rumors suggest Ryo will return to Feyenoord for another season on loan, as he is unable to receive a work permit, and development is still necessary. 

     Ryo is a skill player, with bags of talent. You could say he's a mix between Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri, blistering pace with fantastic foot skill. In fact, these attributes have led him to be labeled as "the Japanese Messi", and "Ryonaldinho" by the Dutch press.

     While it is evident from watching Ryo that he is still a very raw player, it is obvious that he can become something great. Theo Walcott is mainly known for his sheer speed, but Miyaichi is right up there with him in speed. In fact, the two raced and it was a close tie. Their 100 meter sprint times are very close as well: Theo finishing in 10.34, and Ryo in 10.80.

     I like the look of Miyiahci more than Theo. Miyaichi not only has speed, but he has fantastic foot skills, confidence, and seemingly a smart footballing brain. These attributes plus some first team match experience can create Ryo Miyaichi into a deadly weapon in The Arsenal.

     Forget Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling, Alexis Sanchez, and Neymar. Ryo Miyaichi could be the slinet weapon that will creep out of the shadows and terrorize opposition defenses in the coming years.

Watch out for him.

Ryo Miyaichi highlight video

This post was originally posted on http://www.kantapallo.com/, as a guess post. Check out the blog!