Who are Ayden Heaven, Maldini Kacurri and Ismeal Kabia? Arsenal wonderkids on bench vs Tottenham
Arsenal have named their matchday squad for the North London Derby and there are some possible stars of the future in that 20-strong group at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Bragging rights - not to mention three Premier League points - are up for grabs for the first time this season.
Mikel Arteta was facing up to a selection crisis before that showdown. Declan Rice is suspended after his red card against Brighton before September's international break while Mikel Merino (shoulder) and Martin Odegaard (foot) are among the side's most high-profile injury absentees.
Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori is also on their treatment table. That news, in particular, has hastened the need for North London Derby reinforcements from the club's Academy, with both Ayden Heaven and Maldini Kacurri named in the matchday squad - and they are not the only youngsters there waiting for a golden opportunity.
Another promising youngster, Ismeal Kabia, also finds himself on their substitutes bench. He plays as a right winger, so will be looking to learn from Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and others. Here, football.london takes a closer look at Heaven, Kacurri and Kabia, while providing a profile on the trio;
Ayden Heaven
DOB: September 22, 2006 (17-years-old)
Position: Centre-back
Nationality: English (Capped at U19 level)
Squad number: 76
First-team appearances: n/a
Heaven signed for Arsenal from West Ham in 2019 and has continued his development since then. Still only 17, he joined the Gunners on their pre-season tour and drew praise from Arteta no less.
The centre-back, who stands at 6ft 3in, was slightly overpowered by Rasmus Hojlund as Arsenal conceded against Manchester United, but he recovered well and put in an impressive performance in that game. Heaven was named in the matchday squad by Arteta in February for a Champions League match with FC Porto.
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Maldini Kacurri
DOB: October 4, 2005 (18-years-old)
Position: Centre-back
Nationality: Albanian (Capped at U19 level)
Squad number: 47
First-team appearances: n/a
Albania youth international Kacurri put pen-to-paper on a new contract with Arsenal this summer and, no sooner than the ink has dried, the teenager could now be in line for a first-team breakthrough. A year older than Heaven, he has been a regular feature for the Gunners at Premier League 2 level.
Kacurri too arrived at Arsenal from another London side in Fulham. He's said to be a no-nonsense centre-back who "likes to make crunching tackles" - as per Arsenal youth expert Jeorige Bird.
Ismeal Kabia
DOB: December 10, 2005 (17-years-old)
Position: Right winger
Nationality: Dutch
Squad number: 46
First-team appearances: n/a
Kabia also penned a longer-term contract with the club this summer. Hailing from the Netherlands, he plays as a right-footed right-winger from the Academy set-up and has started this season in decent form.
The 18-year-old has scored one goal and provided one assist in three Premier League 2 outings, while he was also on-target against Leyton Orient in the EFL Trophy. Kabia first arrived at London Colney in 2022.