Football academies are a notoriously harsh environment, where cut-throat decisions can crush life-long dreams at any moment.
It is estimated that less than one per cent of academy players make the transition to professional football, which makes success stories all the more rewarding, especially for the players themselves.
Part Two of our exclusive interview with KV Oostende defender Zech Medley looks at breaking through the Arsenal academy having made his professional debut at 18 years old, loan spells during COVID and moving abroad permanently.
Medley made his professional debut for the Gunners in the UEFA Europa League against FC Vorskla Poltava back in 2018.
Reflecting on being given such an opportunity from the academy, Medley told us: "Every day, you are working and working and keep going. Even at the start of the season, if someone said to me I would make my debut this season, I maybe wouldn’t have thought it at the time.
"Obviously, that [a debut] is somewhere you want to get to at some point and is the goal, but you just keep pushing every day and never know when there is an opportunity. With some injuries in the squad and as long as you’re staying on the top of your game every day, and keep pushing in training and doing what you need to do, then you’ll be ready for the opportunities.
"That [debut] happened and I came on in the FA Cup as well, and there were a few appearances in quick succession and I had to be ready. You have to be in that mindset, keep that repetition and wait for the opportunity to come. And when it comes, be ready for it.”
While being given a chance with the first team was something of a fever dream for Medley, his minutes were limited at this time, which led to him being loaned out to gain valuable experience.
He spent the first half of the 2020/21 season on loan with Kent-based Gillingham, who were in League One at the time.
Medley made 18 appearances for the Gills, before his loan spell was cut short in February, to allow him to join Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock for the remainder of the season, where he made ten appearances and scored his first senior goal.
Medley spoke about how useful this time was for him, saying: “I went to Gillingham first and it was just after the COVID period. Even then, we didn’t really have any fans back as well so it was a bit different for a first loan spell.
"The first six months there I was in a proper changing room, thrown right into it and started the first league game at home playing against Hull. You’re straight into the thick of it and you just have to learn very quickly."
He continued, speaking about the demands of professional football, by saying: "I remember one of the second away games, I had Steve Evans as a coach and at half time, I received a strong telling off. Not to say that doesn’t happen in youth football but as soon as I came to the Football League it meant that bit more, playing for points every week and things became more serious.
"It was a real taste of men’s football, and you have to step up really quickly otherwise managers won’t have the trust in you to play. Especially being a centre-back, I have to build that trust in a manager very quickly.”
Medley largely attributed how much he learnt during this time to the environment that he was in, and the players around him.
“It [pressure to succeed] also comes from the players. It’s good to have. There has been a good balance in the squads that I have been at. You’ve got the young players, and you still have got the players that have been there and done it, so they can help you along the way.
"I think it’s definitely useful and makes you learn things very quickly, especially when you’re playing games. That’s the only way you can learn - when you are in and around it.”
There has always been something of a stereotype that English players rarely league the United Kingdom to play abroad, but Medley is one of the few to have broken that mould when he joined Belgian side KV Oostende in June 2021.
He told VAVEL UK that the move came about during his second loan spell, with Kilmarnock, and said: "I got a run of games there [at Kilmarnock] and then they contacted my agent, and my agent spoke to me as they [KV Oostende] had seen me in a game against Rangers. I’d say it was one of my better games, although at the time I didn’t feel like it because we had lost 1-0.
"It gives you that bit of confidence and reminds you that anyone can be watching. I spoke with them towards the end of that season and then set up the move to come in the summer, whether it was a loan or a permanent one. They pitched their vision and decided on a permanent one and it was appealing, so I decided to move in the summer.”
But, despite being sold on the vision of a move to Oostende, making the decision to leave home was far from easy for Medley, and something that took time to decide upon.
“It wasn’t easy, to be fair. It is the first time I have lived abroad. Obviously, I have travelled away for tournaments and other games but actually living in a different country is different. I had just turned 21 and it was around COVID time so it was maybe a bit difficult at the start.
"I thought about it a lot and spoke with my family, but I felt like it was the opportunity to come and have a fresh start. I didn’t feel too afraid to try and start something new, and definitely don’t regret the decision at all.”
Now, almost three years after leaving England, Medley says that he is enjoying life by the sea and has adapted well to life with Oostende.
“I quite like living by the sea. It’s quiet and I can get to training and then come home and relax a bit. Being back in London, there’s a lot more going on and a lot to do.
"It’s nice to come here and chill out, especially when the weather is nice, being by the sea and being able to switch off. The first two years were maybe a bit difficult as there was a lot of learning to do, but this year has been a bit better and I have managed to get a lot more games under my belt and build a bit of consistency."
Since making the move to Belgium, Medley has seen a sharp increase in playing time compared to his time in England and Scotland, and this has so far increased year on year, with him having made 25 appearances so far this season, a career-high for one club.
Oostende have faced challenges on and off the pitch this season, and currently find themselves fourth from bottom in Belgium's second tier, after relegation from the top flight last season, but on a brighter note they have conceded the sixth fewest goals in the division.
Medley took pride in this, and the team's defensive work, while also recognising the need for improved results.
“As a team, we want to keep winning and it’s all about the results. But as long as we keep doing our job at the back, we are either going to win the game or take a point at least.
"So, as long as we have that base and that foundation at the back, then going forward we will definitely pick up as many points as we can.”