From training at Hale End to sharing a plane with Arsenal’s first-team squad, it has been a big lifestyle change for Tolaji Bola.
The defender broke into the under-18s at the end of last season and impressed with a string of confident performances for Frans de Kat’s side.
Now a regular at that level, Bola was named in Andries Jonker’s squad for Arsenal Under-19s’ Youth League opener at Dinamo Zagreb, and the 16-year-old is enjoying every second of the trip.
“It’s a great experience to travel with the first team and I really can’t get enough of it,” he told Arsenal.com. “I’m just really excited for the game and can’t wait to play.
"I feel we’re ready for the game ahead"
Tolaji Bola
“It’s my first Youth League trip so I’ve been told by my senior team-mates to just enjoy myself, focus on playing my own game and make sure we get the three points because it’s really important that we get off to a good start in the group stage.
“We know that Zagreb are going to be very good technically and also very hardworking, but we’ve prepared well and we know we have the tools to beat them, so we just have to put it into practice.
“In training we’ve been working a lot on what we’re going to do when we’re on the ball and also what we’re going to do defensively when we’re off it, and I feel we’re ready for the game ahead.”
Arsenal Under-19s face Dinamo Zagreb at Stadium Maksimir on Wednesday. Kick-off is 3pm (UK time) and you can follow live updates on the @Arsenal Twitter feed.
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