Seventeen-year-olds Michelle Agyemang, Katie Reid and Laila Harbert were given an experience to dream of this weekend.
The trio of Arsenal youngsters joined Watford on a dual agreement at the start of the summer to enrich their careers and were given a good opportunity on Sunday, playing against their parent club in the FA Cup fourth round when the sides met at Meadow Park.
Although it was a decision that needed weeks of consideration, it was one Arsenal felt was right, with total alignment between manager Jonas Eidevall and the club.
“It wasn’t (an easy decision) because it’s two mindsets going against each other,” he explained ahead of Arsenal’s 5-1 win. “One, it’s a competitive game and my first thought is that you should do everything in your power to get every inch on your side. Otherwise, you wouldn’t respect the opposition and that would be the worst mistake.
Eidevall had a difficult decision to make to allow his young loanees to play against their parent club (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
“These are three players I believe can be first-team players for Arsenal in the future. We have them on loan at Watford to get first-team experience. To be able to play in the FA Cup, at a hopefully sold-out Meadow Park, that’s as good an experience as it can be. If I deny them that experience, do I also deny them of their potential development?
“For one of the few times in my career, I’m willing to give up a competitive advantage to invest in the future of Arsenal. Short-term, I’m not happy about that decision because they’re really good players who can cause us problems. Long-term, it’s the right decision because it will develop them the most.”
While attention on these unique circumstances grew in the days leading up to the game, the clubs and players have had time to mull things over since the draw on December 12.
“We were actually training at Arsenal with the first team when we heard (of the draw)!” Reid told The Athletic ahead of the game. “We were in shock because what were the chances? There were a few jokes with the team but then we went up to our academy manager to see if we would actually play or not. It’s weird and you don’t want to play against your parent club but it’s a huge opportunity which would really help our development.”
Loan players returning to train at their parent clubs is not uncommon — it is often used to maintain fitness. In Arsenal and Watford’s case, it helps that a hedge is the only thing separating their training grounds at London Colney.
“With young players, they’re still in school and are not in a position where they would move,” Eidevall added. “There’s nothing to hide in them getting a lot of attention from clubs outside and inside England, but it doesn’t make sense to move them away from where they are now. This is the perfect combination of being able to stay at home, focus on school and play good football with Watford.”
Some weeks the trio’s training will be split between the two clubs but most of their learning this season has been done on the yellow-and-black side of said hedge as they take their first real steps into senior women’s football.
Reid, front, and Agyemang are team-mates in the England under-19s squad (Joosep Martinson/Getty Images)
Agyemang suffered a three-month knee injury in September, but has now started four games in all competitions, scoring her third goal of the season against Arsenal after Watford caught them playing out from the back.
“When Poppy (Wilson) got the ball I thought she was going to shoot and I thought, ‘Poppy, please, this is my chance!’,” Agyemang told The Athletic post-match. “Normally we take reversed shots in the warm-ups after drawing the ‘keeper out and that was the one thing on my mind — just reverse it.
“I’m pretty sure the stadium went silent. I was like, great, and walked back because they (Arsenal supporters) weren’t going to be happy about the goal.”
Harbert has started 10 and made a further three appearances off the bench. Reid has started in all 10 of her appearances across all competitions this season. The experiences all three players have amassed have already made a difference when they head back over to the red-and-white side of the Colney shrubbery.
“At Arsenal, it was more about getting to know the players, the coaches, the environment and the excellent standards that are set. You learn so much by going into meetings and just being in the room to see their behaviours as well as training with them on the pitch,” Reid adds.
“At Watford, because you’re one of the players who is actually playing, there are a lot more discussions and responsibilities to help the team. I definitely felt the communication was better (when training with Arsenal again). I knew what to say and what they expected from me more because I had been around a first team. That made it easier and there was more respect for us actually getting minutes in the Championship.”
Agyemang, who has been at Arsenal since she was six, made her debut at 16 in November 2022 and has five Arsenal appearances to her name already.
Harbert has been at the club since she was nine, and trained with the academy boys at Hale End between the ages of 12 and 15. Reid signed at 13 after playing with boys and all three have been around the first team since they turned 15. As a group, the peak so far was being on the bench for last season’s Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg.
Harbert in action during the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Third Round match against Southampton (Ben Hoskins – The FA via Getty Images)
“At the start of the season we played Charlton at The Valley and went 3-0 up,” Harbert explains as an example of a learning experience from the loan spell. “The coaches were really pleased with us at half-time but then in the second half it got to 3-2. In those last 10 minutes we had to sit back and soak up pressure. We won in the end but it’s in moments like that when you learn to play under pressure.
“I’ve grown as a person and a player at Watford but I’ve also grown in confidence because the manager has trusted me from the start. My decision-making is much quicker and my physical output has increased because it’s more demanding. However, the one real takeaway is understanding the value of three points. In academy football, at Arsenal, you expect to win 4-0 each week. In the Championship results can go either way, so it’s about putting in that extra work to secure three points.”
The harsh reality of strong performances not always resulting in a win has been frequent at Watford this season. They have scored more goals than four other Championship sides but sit bottom of the league after 12 games with their only win coming against second-placed Charlton Athletic in September.
Results aside, the lessons these players learn while on loan is what these dual agreements are about: a better understanding of gamesmanship, quicker decision-making and more physical output. Part of the reason this tie was possible is because Harbert scored a hat-trick in Watford’s third-round win over Southampton.
The trio all played well but for Agyemang, Watford manager Damon Lathrope joked that she was a tad frustrated at full time because she saw less of the ball than usual. In the wars with defenders Lotte Wubben-Moy and Amanda Ilestedt, Agyemang added: “I wouldn’t say frustration, it was more, ‘Finally, I got my chance’. It was a fun challenge. I enjoyed it, even if I got a few cuts and bruises that will sting in the shower.”
Wubben-Moy, right, battling it out with Agyemang (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
After the game, Vivianne Miedema was seen giving advice to her protege. “She was telling me to keep my head up, and that it was always going to be a tough game. As a striker she understood this wasn’t a game when I was going to get on the ball but she said there are so many lessons for Katie, Laila and myself, especially being so young.”
Harbert arguably had the toughest task in midfield, but impressed with a few nice turns away from pressure as well as putting pressure on midfielder Lia Walti.
Reid was the busiest of the three in defence, having to monitor the movement of Alessia Russo, Miedema and Co. She put out fires with tackles on Miedema, Caitlin Foord and Victoria Pelova inside the box and was key to Watford trying to play their way out of Arsenal’s press. Reid was vocal in directing her midfielders on where to be when Arsenal were building attacks.
“Katie could potentially go to the very top of the game,” Watford head coach Lathrope said. “She’s a fantastic player who has all the attributes a top centre-half needs. Sometimes I forget she’s only just turned 17 — she plays like a senior pro in our team. It’s tough for young players to come in at centre-half. It’s easier to throw players in at the top end of the pitch or wider areas where they’re not going to be as exposed, so Katie’s done absolutely fantastically.
“All of them have matured. They have great work ethic and when you couple that with their ability, us giving them experiences like today will give them a great chance of fulfilling their potential which I believe is super.”
This may not be a common occurrence but the FA Cup has provided these three players, Watford and Arsenal with a start to the New Year that should not be forgotten.
“I have great respect for Jonas and that decision,” Harbert said. “It shows the commitment the club has to developing young players and that we’re all on the same page because games like this will take us to the next level. Hopefully that’s one of the many times I’ll play there, but I’ve got to keep up the hard work.”
Reid added: “Jonas sees our potential and it’s a learning experience that I didn’t want to be taken away.”
(Top photo: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Read the full article here