Unai Emery has named his squad for Arsenal's Europa League campaign and there's one surprise name in the group.
Joel Lopez may not be a houehold name, but he's named among the Gunners' defenders who will contribute to the north London side's hopes of going all of the way in the competition.
But who is the 17-year-old? We take a look at the starlet who could be Arsenal's next big thing.
Profile
Born on March 31 2002, Joel Lopez is tipped for big things in the game.
After coming through Barcelona's famous La Masia academy system, the defender decided to leave the Catalan side in favour of a move to Arsenal on a scholarship.
That move materialised in August 2018, with the full-back signing a professional deal in March this year.
He's featured regularly for the Gunners' youth sides as a key part of Per Mertersacker's academy set-up, and looks set to make his first team breakthrough this season.
Following in the footsteps of two Arsenal favourites
Joel Lopez isn't the first young talent to trade the Camp Nou for life in north London.
While Cesc Fabregas and current Gunner Hector Bellerin are two of the more high profile examples, there's been plenty of other young stars who have moved to the Emirates with the hope of carving out a career at the highest level.
Among those are Jon Toral and Fran Merida who arrived with real promise, but never quite made the grade with the Premier League side.
However with the duo currently playing for Hull City and Osasuna respectively, it certainly bodes well for Lopez who can be assured that he's in the right place to kick on in his career.
What the experts say
“Joel is a left back with a lot of future,” La Masia expert and Diario SPORT reporter Albert Rogé told football.london last year.
“He loves to get forward and attack the penalty area. He combines very well with those inside him and has a good touch of the ball.
“In defence he is intense and his speed helps him to correct his position when he makes a few mistakes. He is a player that coaches always like. Very discreet on and off the pitch and always good.”
So why did he decide to swap the Camp Nou for the Emirates? “He leaves Barca because in his position he has Juan Miranda, who is two years older than him and he is the club's bet on the left side,” Rogé explained.
“They tried to keep him because they do not want any player to leave. However, they were aware that they had opted for Miranda so it was difficult to retain Joel for sporting reasons.”
