Arsenal’s use of kids is delightful and makes the club more attractive to elite youngsters… but fans must show patience
ARSENAL fans would be hard pushed to offer you up too many names that have truly succeeded via the academy over the past 25 years.
Under Arsene Wenger, Project Youth was the first concept for bringing kids through the ranks.
We mostly pinched talent from top clubs in Europe bringing in faces like Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Alex Song.
We’d promise them an early start in the first team (and a big pay bump).
Project British Core, a more nationalistic version of Project Youth saw us bed in Carl Jenkinson, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott.
A great concept, but poorly executed.
Only one of the players came through the academy (Jack) and all bar Ramsey failed to make a notable impact. None of them ply their trade at Arsenal today.
Things could be about to change at the third attempt, in what should be called Project Local.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 21, Joe Willock, 19, and Reiss Nelson, 19, all started the first game of the season against Newcastle and all looked like they could have a future with the club.
Maitland-Niles showed up with a stunning assist with the other two holding their own in a drab game.
Unai Emery has clearly been tasked with giving more game time to the kids this year, and it feels great.
Arsenal fans are no doubt going to have to be patient with their growth trajectory; kids are inconsistent and make errors, but the emergence of London raised talent in our squad can only be described as an absolute delight.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
It gives the operation more likeability, it makes us a more attractive proposition to other elite youth players, and even if it fails, you can flog an OK player for £40m to Everton in this market.
The three mentioned above aren’t the only kids coming through the system with the potential to deliver something this year.
From the British crop we have Emile Smith Rowe, an exciting left-sided midfielder.
There’s also the electric Bukayo Saka who looks to have a very high ceiling, boasting pace and an attacking directness we lacked last year.
Then you have the foreign crop - Dani Ceballos is 22 years old, Matteo Guendouzi is 20, and Gabriel Martinelli is 18.
Arsenal have an impressive group of youngsters to pick from this year.
It’s going to be hit and miss who makes it, but give me the electricity that comes with youth over failed cloggers like Mustafi and Elneny every single time.
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A huge season ahead, let's hope Project Local works out better than the last two attempts at youth.
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