Since we’ve been on pre-season tour in America, we’ve had the chance to see a few academy prospects get minutes and the chance to show Arteta and the rest of the coaching staff what they have to offer, and I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve got to see so far. With the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly impressing when given the chance in attack and midfield and even the likes of Ayden Heaven and Josh Michols in defence, it leads me to wonder if any of them will get the chance to break through this season.
When Arteta originally started to manage Arsenal, we got to see him bring through the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, but since then, we haven’t seen many younger academy players get the chance in the first team. With Smith-Rowe moving to Fulham and Nketiah looking likely to leave also, it leaves some vacant spots in the squad and has me wondering if Arteta will give the younger lads who have been very good in pre-season a chance to come through to the first team or at least go out on loan.
For me personally, I think Arteta has been missing a big part of academy development and although I understand that it can be hard to break into a star-studded team like Arsenal, it’s still vital to give the academy lads and younger players a way through to the first team, they need to see a clear pathway. When you look at sides like Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United, they build from within and give their younger players a chance. They seem to really benefit from it, but Arteta and Arsenal haven’t really been following suit in recent times and I think it’s a huge hindrance on the club.
Squad depth is key, and we know better than most than when injuries hit, it can derail a whole season and ruin things very quickly, and having players who are ready and able to set in is key. Arteta has overused the same players a lot in recent seasons, and I think it’s cost us in the long run, we need to have good enough squad rotation and give players a chance to rest and other’s a chance to impress.
With a few outgoings, I expect, and hope that Arteta will give a few younger players more game time. I know they are young and I’m not saying these kids should be starting every match, but they’ve shown that they’re good enough and can hold their own, and will only get better if they’re given the chance. Buying new players every window is good, but sometimes you must look within and build from there. Arteta’s main aim would be rotate regularly to keep the dquad fresh to compete in every competition, so there must to be times when we can bring on some of our best prospects. We won’t be playing Man City every week…
What’s your thought Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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Even if there is room they will hardly get any minutes we have seen this in the last few seasons in our poor cup runs where the manager does not trust them but we still get put out early .
This is why our academy players are looking else where for minutes .
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Im sure i didn’t put that heart😂.I am sure i put👍
Just thought I’d put this forward as part of the discussion :
AW bloodied 83 players via our youth academy into his first team squad, starting with Paulo Vernazza in 1997 and his last was Ben Sheaf in 2017.
To date, MA has bloodied 5 players, Balogun, Cotterell, Azeez, Patino and Nwaneri.
I hope I’ve got that right AND, if I have, it works out at four a season for Le Prof and one a season for MA.
Does this show just what having the financial backing does, when buying ready made top players does to stifle the progress of the younger ones?
I think your numbers are spot on Ken ,I believe our youngsters got 13 mins in total last season ,19th worse in the league .
I keep reading from fans that we need to win something before the academy players get a look in ,so if we don’t win anything for the next 10 years or while This manager is in charge don’t expect any player from our Academy to get a look in ,you can see why they are leaving .
A Fine balance that Arteta needs to manage.
For now he’s gone down the buying trophies rather than coaching players to win them
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I agree with your last paragraph DK, but would we get anywhere near city115 if we hadn’t signed the likes of Rice and Odegaard?
Ken, you’ve forgotten Sagoe Jr, who played against Brentford in the League Cup last season.
Damn!! I knew it!! 😂😂
Well, he’s caught up with UE at least!!
Arteta didn’t bring through Saka, Smith Rowe
Those were Unai doing
Arteta doesn’t give the youngsters a real look-in
What should we expect when even seniors like Tierney, Smith Rowe, Nelson can’t get a real look-in
Cozier Duberry reminded me of first seeing Saka player
I was like: “this is definitely a gem”
But guess what ?
That’s why I didn’t mention Saka, ESR Babasola, but it does show that in, just eighteen months, he “outdid” MA.
Again, was that because he wasn’t given the money to buy ready made top pros himself?
ESR got his prem debut under Arteta.
False, ESR played under Emery. I believe Saka got his run under Freddie L. before Emery took over.
ESR got a chance under Arteta when we had an injury crisis in December earlier in Arteta’s tenure. Finished that year with around 10 goals and was a “super sub.”
DK, I take it you’re just going on PL games, as Sagoe Jr played 68 minutes in the League Cup game at Brentford.
Yes HD 13 minutes played in Prem
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I think I read in one of wengers league cup games the academy players got 787 mins in the first round (1 game )
Abit different from 68 minutes and got through to the next round ,did we get through last season with Sagoe playing his 68 minutes ?
I cannot remember
Yes, we won 1-0.
DK, which League Cup game would that have been where the academy players got all of those minutes ?
Can’t remember ,read it a couple of weeks ago ,without spending 4 hours trying to find (which I’m not going to do .
I do remember Wenger playing the youngsters for a few years in the carling cup and getting quite far ,probably around
2004 -2009 .
To cut the discuss-matter short, Arteta could include Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly to the final 25 man senior Gunners team for next season’s campaign. But if they strongly justified to the included.
And if he does include them, let him be giving them chances of minutes in matches to justify their inclusions. Even if it’s 15-20 minutes that he gives them, they should prove their worth by performing regularly well for the team whenever they are brought on.
Arteta wants to win matches next season. And be winning them regularly to win titles for Arsenal. And for this reason, he SHOULDN’T any unecessary risk of say, the academic players inclusion into his 25 just for the sake of it to please some critics.
SAA, Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly don’t need to be added to the 25 man squad to be able to play for the 1st team, as they are only 17 years old.
They shouldn’t be thrown in “at the deep end” just because they’re young – that can do more harm than good.
Youngsters should be given a chance, as/when appropriate, if the coaching staff agree that they’re ready. That’s the most important criterion.
Well done Daisy Mae for bringing this up.
I have been banging on about our youth set up for years (no doubt annoying a few JA posters).