Like watching the Arsenal

Earlier this season, beaten Notts County manager Craig Short asserted that his side had made Athletic look like Real Madrid at Boundary Park. Thus, the ‘Galacdickovs’ legend was born.

While Short’s was a barbed compliment aimed more at describing the deficiencies of his own side, new loan man Cedric Evina is more positive.

The 18-year-old has compared Athletic with Arsenal — this time, in all seriousness.

“This is a good club,” said Evina, who is on loan from the Gunners for a month and in the squad for Griffin Park tomorrow.

“I spoke to the manager (Paul Dickov) and it is very similar to Arsenal in a way.

“That is because we both press high up and like to get the ball down and play football. It isn’t a long ball team.

“I have played at Brentford a couple of times for Arsenal’s reserves, as that is where Chelsea play their home reserve matches. It will be a bit of a second home for me.”

Evina is rated highly by Dickov as a quick, energetic player who can occupy a number of positions. Growing up as a left winger under the tutelage of Arsenal’s head of youth development Liam Brady, Evina was only converted to take up a full-back role a couple of years ago.

In doing so, the Cameroon-born Londoner follows in the footsteps of another former Gunners trainee, current Chelsea star Ashley Cole.

And the chance to work alongside players of a similar stature at the Emirates Stadium is something Evina believes has helped his game.

“It is great playing for Arsenal,” he added. “The expectations are so high there, they expect the very best of you.

“Every day you have to push yourself and make sure you do your best because you are surrounded by very, very good players and the competition is very tough.

“So you have to always give your best and work hard.

“You get occasions where you train with the first team and when that happens, it shows you how much quicker the game is at that level. It is very technical as well and there is very little margin for error.

“You have to be spot-on when you go there.”

For now, Evina is simply hoping to get some football under his belt as Athletic look to push back into the upper echelons of npower League One.

“It is important to get first-team football and to be around that environment,” he said.

“It will help me to know what the pressure is like for winning games.

“It will help me gain experience and I want to go out there and enjoy myself.

“Hopefully Arsenal and Oldham can arrange something if it goes well so I can stay a bit longer.”