Iwobi tops the charts as the most widely used academy graduate in the English Premier League

SUPER Eagles playmaker Alex Iwobi has been voted as the English Premier League academy graduate who made the most appearances during the course of the 2018/19 season after he featured for Arsenal 50 times during the campaign.

Iwobi, 23, was born in Lagos before moving to England at the age of four, following a brief stay in Turkey. He joined Arsenal while still at primary school in 2004 and was first involved in a first-team match as an unused substitute in a League Cup match against West Bromwich Albion on 25 September 2013.

He subsequently signed a long-term contract with Arsenal in October 2015. On 27 October 2015, Iwobi made his first-team debut for the club, starting in a 3–0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday in the Round of 16 of the League Cup.

Despite the inability of Arsenal to make it to the top four in the English Premier League, the team had a good season. Head coach Unai Emery has shown faith in Iwobi by using him extensively during the course of the season.

Full appearances of academy graduates

Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) – 50

Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) – 47

Harry Winks (Tottenham) – 40

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) – 40

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace) – 39

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) – 39

Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 39

Lewis Dunk (Brighton) – 38

Declan Rice (West Ham) – 38

Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) – 38

Ben Chilwell (Leicester City) – 36

Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) – 36

Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) – 36

Mark Noble (West Ham) – 32

Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolves) – 31