This has been a tumultuous academic year for all London Stadium pupils. They’ve had a change of headmaster, and it’s fair to say that the previous one has left a lot of players with a lack of confidence and drive. We don’t feel like any players will be pleased with their report cards this year – consider this a stern talking to. There’s potential in most of the class, it just needs to be seen more going into next term to avoid multiple detentions.
Goalkeepers and Departing Stalwarts: Fabianski, Areola, Cresswell, and Coufal
Alphonse Areola – With 25 starts and five clean sheets, Alphonse has had a mixed term. Having been dropped from the top class, he had to work hard to regain his place – and despite proving to his teachers that he could come back stronger, he struggled to find form. He really needs improvement for next year, but we can see that he puts his heart into trying.
Lucasz Fabianski – As the eldest classmate in the year, Lucasz has been keen to find consistent form and graduate on a high. He showed moments of brilliance to remind us all of why he has been around for so long, but once he was hampered by concussion, he struggled to get his place back. The class will miss him – we’re only sorry he didn’t get his last hurrah at his home assembly hall.
Aaron Cresswell – Aaron gives everything he has to the team and is a key player in encouraging and influencing his classmates. He’ll always hold his hands up when he’s had a bad day. He was mostly a backup this term, and didn’t get to show us his true self. But we’ll certainly miss him and his positive energy.
Vladimir Coufal – In what was to be his final term with his teammates, Vlad probably didn’t bow out with the impact he would have liked. He’s very much loved by his peers, but failed to show up for some classes. There’s no doubting his effort and passion, but he struggled to impress, like most of his pals. He’ll be missed by everyone though.
Defence: Wan-Bissaka’s Gold Star and Others’ Struggles
Konstantinos Mavropanos – Despite higher attendance this year, Konstantinos has struggled to make an impact. There are too many mistakes creeping in – this could be due to a lack of confidence. He’s had his critics, which has undoubtedly had a knock on effect on his performances. We’d love to see him pick himself up for next term.
Maximilian Kilman – Max has been one of the standouts this year. We’re keen to see how much he can improve further and take his game up a level, because his potential is clear. As part of a more consistent team, he could benefit. He’s picked up more minutes than his classmates this year, so there is trust being put in him. Looking forward to more.
Jean-Clair Todibo We’ve been impressed by Jean-Clair this term. He was injured for a few weeks but made a positive impact on his return. We’ve seen enough to offer him a full time place. He has a lot to live up to but early signs are good for his longer term future.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – Aaron has been the standout pupil of the year. Coming in as a new classmate isn’t easy, but he’s earned himself a gold star and has been such a good example to those around him. He’s got natural talent and has undoubtedly saved his team a few points this term. Well done Aaron.
Emerson Palmieri – Emerson has been fairly consistent this season. Although he’s made a couple of mistakes, he generally can be relied on. He’s chipped in with a couple of goals, one of which earned him the Goal of the Season. As with a few of his classmates, Emerson can come back stronger next season and contribute to a more positive atmosphere.
Midfield: Pressure, Consistency, and Potential
Carlos Soler – Having borrowed Carlos from another school, he’s settled in quite nicely and offered creativity at times. He has, however, also made some errors in judgement and needs to work on his overall effectiveness as a midfielder. With the right peers around him, he could progress further – if he gets the chance to stay with us longer.
James Ward-Prowse – It was a pleasure to welcome James back to the class after a short period of time away. We don’t really know why he was given leave. He might not have been able to shine as bright as he can, but he’s an important asset to this class. He’s likeable and he’s got potential to grow further into the new term.
Lucas Paqueta – Lucas has had a disappointing term, despite being offered more opportunities to play. With his extra-curricular activities keeping his mind from the task at hand, he’s struggled to show off his natural flair and ability. He did net four goals again this year, something that he can improve on. But for now, he needs to stay behind and do some lines.
Mohammed Kudus – This term has been up and down for Mohammed. We had high hopes for this year, but the overall downbeat feeling of the class seems to have got to him. He’s chipped in with goals, but we expected his tally to go up and for him to really shine, but his effort just hasn’t been quite enough.
Luis Guilherme – In limited minutes, Luis has looked sharp and committed. His longest stint was only 45 minutes, which is very hard to judge him upon. But he works hard in training and hasn’t put a foot wrong yet. We look forward to seeing more of the youngster next term.
Edson Alvarez – It’s been a mixed bag for Alvarez this year. He’s made a couple of errors and had a poor disciplinary record, which we did ask him to improve in his previous report. But he’s also been one of the better players in a few games. Unfortunately he didn’t make progress this term to improve on the last.
Guido Rodriguez – Guido didn’t make enough of an impact this season. There were moments when we thought we would learn more about him, but it just didn’t really happen for him. We would have liked to have seen more of his abilities – perhaps this just wasn’t the right group of classmates to bring out his potential.
Tomas Soucek – Tomas has stepped up again this year with nine goals and an assist. We’ve enjoyed watching his infectious smile, but it’s also clear how much he cares about this class when things aren’t going so well for him. He’s become such an important part of this team, despite not always having the finesse of some of his classmates. More again next year, Tomas.
Andy Irving – Andy is a great worker, gets his head down and doesn’t complain. We like having him around and his attitude will take him a long way in a class like this. If he can impress enough on the training ground to get some more minutes, there’s a place for him.
Crysencio Summerville – We were impressed by some of Crysencio’s performances this term, and we were pleased to see him score. He could have scored a couple more, and was unlucky not to. He showed signs of being a player who could elevate this team, but his season was sadly hampered by injury. There’s more to come from this pupil.
Attack: Bowen’s Star Turn and Others’ Misfortune
Michail Antonio – With only one goal and 14 appearances, and the remainder of the term out with a serious injury, it’s not fair to grade Michail this year. We know he’s got what it takes to come back, we wish him all the best and hope to see in class again soon.
Niclas Fullkrug – With three goals in 18 this season, Niclas has chipped in with goals and a couple of assists. He had a spell in the medical room that hampered his season progress. We hope we would have seen more goalmouth action from him without this gap in attendance. He wears his heart on his sleeve, but maybe he needs to leave the discipline to the teachers.
Danny Ings – In Danny’s final term in the claret and blue class, he was very much a stand in. He did score one and assist two, as well as win a penalty that turned into a winning goal. He didn’t really get a fair chance, but things just didn’t work out for him. We wish him well on his next move.
Jarrod Bowen – Jarrod has been a star pupil this term, again. He always gives his all and has the talent to back himself up. He’s a great influence on those around him – if all his classmates gave as much effort as he did, the whole team would be flying. And when they’re all on form, he will be able to shine even brighter.
Evan Ferguson – We’re disappointed for Evan that he wasn’t handed more opportunities in his short stay in this class. He had potential to be a bigger part of the team, but we didn’t see how he could slot into this team and maybe extend his stay.
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