One of the few things that Arsenal have done correctly in recent years is to maximise their academy talent. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are talents that, I think, would have emerged in most of the Gunners’ recent squad iterations. The current squad is shorter on quality than it has been for a generation which has probably made it slightly easier for the aforementioned to become, not just first team regulars, but two of the team’s central pillars. Three years ago I wrote a column arguing that it was time to stop spending serious money on players like Lucas Perez and Mohamed Elneny and start entrusting squad roles to the club’s academy players. Using the club’s better academy...
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