Charlie Gilmour came through Arsenal’s hugely successful academy and has seen friends take different paths in the game.
Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah were all colleagues in the youth teams, where Gilmour spent 14 years of his life.
Marcus McGuane left Arsenal at 18 for a spell with Barcelona’s B team, before reuniting with Gilmour during a loan spell at Dutch side Telstar.
One of his closest friends is Josh Dasilva, who has overcome significant hip and hamstring injuries in the last 18 months and has returned to Brentford’s first-team with a bang at the start of the new Premier League season.
Gilmour is looking to forge his own path and start playing football again. He joined Cove Rangers earlier this week on loan from Premiership side St Johnstone and is looking to put a frustrating spell in his career behind him.
“I’ve had some good experiences in the past, being with Arsenal and going out to Holland. I’ve had the best education growing up, being at Arsenal from a young age and meeting loads of people,” he said.
“The main ones that are doing well just now are Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Josh Dasilva, whose at Brentford. Everyone has different pathways, some on a similar one to the one I’m on currently.
Learning from teams
“Josh is probably one of my closest friends, him and Marcus McGuane at Oxford. They’re on different pathways now but both are playing at a good standard.
“I feel like I’ve learned a lot from Arsenal. I was there from six to 20, so that’s all I ever knew. I feel like it hindered me in some ways because growing up there, you have the best treatment, you always have the ball and don’t have to do as much defending as you would in other teams.
“I’ve been trying to improve that side of my game in the years since I left and I feel I’ve come on massively in that department.”
HE ONLY SCORES GOOD GOALS
🦊 2-2 🐝#BrentfordFC | #LEIBRE pic.twitter.com/LLsk6YuuxE
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 7, 2022
Gilmour joined St Johnstone in February 2021 and later signed a two-year deal with the Perth side. However, regular football has evaded him, with just 14 appearances for the club and he spent two months of last season on loan at League One side Alloa Athletic.
The central midfielder is the fifth summer signing made by Jim McIntyre since his arrival at Cove and the 23-year-old is keen to impress.
“I played against them last year with Alloa and they were the best team I played against in League One,” said Gilmour. “You can tell already, it’s so organised and professional. They tick every box.
“Hopefully I can get as many games as possible and perform. If we start winning then it’s good for everyone.
‘I know I’m capable’
“It’s been frustrating; at the end of the day I just want to play football. If I’m playing, I’m happy. If I’m not playing, then I’m not. It’s just the way it is sometimes. I’m looking forward to the future with Cove, progressing my football there and seeing where it takes me.
“The manager wants me to get about the pitch, be a box-to-box midfielder and I know I’m capable of it. I just need a run of games and hopefully I can do that.”
After the experience-based recruitment of last year, Cove have gone down a different path 12 months on.
The nucleus of the successful team, which has carried them to three promotions in four seasons, remains, but it has needed some fresh legs. Evan Towler has joined on loan from Aberdeen, Gerry McDonagh from Halifax, then two young players recently released from English academies in Luis Longstaff and Cieran Dunne.
“The club are ambitious and want to do well,” said Gilmour. “I think they will in the next few years. It’s a case of trying to get to the next step and hopefully have a good season.
“It’s the first time they’re in the Championship but there’s good experienced players here, who have played at a good level before.”