Five failed Arsenal ‘golden boys’

There are few things that tug a football fan’s heartstrings quite like the chrysalis from young player to club icon. One only needs to cast a glance across north London to glimpse the sort of fawning appreciation Harry Kane is getting for confirmation. Arsenal’s folklore is likewise coloured by stories of young players raised from mere pups to club legends. Tony Adams, David Rocastle, Liam Brady, names that trip off of the Arsenal tongue.

One can but hope that the likes of Jack Wilshere, Chuba Akpom and maybe even Héctor Bellerin can join these erstwhile club colossi. However, our appetite to appraise the young buck beyond their abilities can often leave us red faced in retrospect. Gus Cesar will probably always be the poster boy for this familiar rise and fall narrative. Sometimes (often actually) potential does not germinate. Sometimes injury, ego or stasis sees young players plateau well before their prime. We take a look at five failed Arsenal ‘golden boys.’