Even with Arsenal’s new signings and more rotation there is still room for our youngsters

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?