Arsenal have spent hundreds of millions of pounds in the transfer market in an attempt to end their 20-year wait for a Premier League title. But the secret recipe for success could actually come from within as their new transfer focus suggests.
While signing the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino may be imperative to closing the gap on Manchester City, Mikel Arteta is looking closer to home to unearth quality players for his squad for years to come.
Their academy programme at Hale End has produced the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson for the Gunners’ first team over the past five years or so. Former Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker has had a major role in that.
The tangible value from developing them at a young age and bringing them through is undeniable – Fulham broke their transfer record to sign Smith Rowe for £34million this summer, while Nketiah joned Crystal Palace in a £25m transfer.
Then, of course, there is Saka, who has over 200 appearances to his name at the age of 23 and has gradually become their star performer. Producing a player easily worth over £100million is every academy’s dream.
But Arsenal aren’t stopping there. They already have their sights set on bringing through the next starlets on the production line, with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri rated as a talent with massive potential. The attacking midfielder has already made several appearances for the first team after becoming the youngest-ever player in the Premier League at the age of 15.
Arteta also appears to be a fan of his academy colleague Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, a promising all-rounder who has demonstrated his versatility by excelling in a series of varying positions.
The fact Saka, Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have all been at the club since the age of nine may appear to be coincidental. But youth coach and former club captain Per Mertesacker has provided insight into why the north London club are prioritising players in that age group.
“The under-nine group is almost like the most important age group every single year,” Mertesacker told The Telegraph. “That is where the resources go and also where I need to present to parents. At that stage, when you are an under-eight, you might have offers from five or six clubs in London.”
Elaborating on their new strategy, the German said: “I would not call it an under-eight transfer market [but] it is probably close to that. When you come down to Hale End, where the pre-academy trains, you see their skills.
“I compare that to my time – I think I could just run in straight lines. There is a technical element to it now. You can see it. Obviously it is early, and at that age you make it fun. You make it playtime, you make it musical. It’s a foundation phase, where they need to express themselves as much as possible.
“But still, there are traits. You see the player’s behaviour, you see the parents. You want to build a really positive and inclusive environment there. Under-nine really builds the foundation of your team.”
Arsenal may have lost one of their top talents in Chido Obi-Martin, who scored a 14-minute hat-trick on his debut for Manchester United. But there will be more talents like Saka to surface in the comings, as Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly prove.
