Goodbye Arsenal as Falkirk's loan danger heads for Sunderland

At first it seemed like just another pacy young striker; a flash in the pan, it could be said. However, one would have to admit that his performances for Falkirk have shone with maturity and class. At second glance, his strength on the ball and clinical finishing are beyond what a typical loanee would offer. More clearly: Anthony Stokes is ready for the next level.

The Scottish Premier League is of a higher quality than most pundits would agree. While Spain, Italy and England surely have the better of the European scene, all too often other European leagues lag behind because of television exposure. Holland, Portugal, Germany and France all boast loads of quality within their club teams. Evidence of this is apparent in that many British, Italian and Spanish-based clubs have players from these nations on their books. The SPL may not farm out as many players to top clubs in the 'Big Three' leagues, but they do have a sort of quality from within that seriously endears fans to their clubs.

Stokes is an 18-year-old representative of Arsenal's academy. More specifically, the young Irishman became a regular fixture in the Gunners’ reserve-team outings, and obviously Arsene Wenger felt he was at the 'point of no return' most young players reach sooner or later. Young recruited talent is either turned in to the reserve side, or incorporated immediately into the first team.

In Stokes' case, he was recruited, and after only a few months was given an opportunity to play in a domestic cup competition (Carling Cup) and against Premiership opposition, no less. Wenger clearly saw enough that he needed to make a decision over the summer on this young starlet. The decision was that if Stokes was going to prove himself, what better avenue to do so than to be loaned out to a second-tier league club, and given 30 or so games as a starting forward?