Ethan Nwaneri: New Nwan-era?

[lomekian]

I think Arteta will surprise a lot of you guys with Ethan this season - moving on ESR, Vieira, Nelson is a *big* signal that Nwaneri is being elevated to first team status.

As an aside, obviously Wenger is well known for his ability to integrate youth but did he do this when we were going toe to toe with Manchester United from 98-04? I only started following Arsenal fully in 01/02 as a teenager so my memory isn't the best but I can't recall those Arsenal teams playing youth so much?

Basically until Cole it was pretty much just Stephen Hughes and in Extremis Alex Manninger (odd how his career petered out a bit) bar a few carling cup specials of players who were never seen or heard of again!

 

[lomekian]

I think there are players who perhaps would have had a couple of opportunities had injuries not completely ruined their development, while there are a handful who have left early on to seek more concrete opportunities (Hutchinson, Cozier-Duberry, Walters come to mind). In terms of injuries, the most egregious that comes to mind is Tyreece John-Jules. He had some flaws, but ultimately he was one of, if not the most rounded #9 talent we had produced but he has never been able to get off the ground due to his constant stream of injuries. He was released this Summer and still doesn't have a club, sadly.

Timing is everything in football and unfortunately windows can close just as quickly as they open. You have to be hungry (and fit) enough to take every opportunity that shows it's face. Sagoe Jr I thought did as well as I expected him to. He has often taken time to acclimatise to the levels he ascends to. I would have preferred Cozier-Duberry to get his opportunity - again, timing! But Sagoe Jr had worked hard to get his go.

I will say though, the newer generation look quite sturdy - although early days. Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly get the plaudits naturally but the likes of Michal Rosiak, Ayden Heaven, Josh Nichols etc all look like good players in the making aswell. I'd say we're looking light in the attacking areas but dig below the current 2nd years and you've got the likes of new scholars like Andre Annous and Louis Zecevic-John (currently injured), who look really promising, as well as schoolboys like Brando Bailey-Joseph. Time will also tell on them, but Wilshere has done a very good job with them over the last 6 months or so and continuing to do so.

What's ironic is that those who have left for better opportunities only got them on loan at the same level we would have loaned them to, apart from Musah, whose development seems to have been stalled over the lat two years by being surrounded by dysfunciton.

TJJ sadly just could not stay fit. A better player than balogun but literally a major injury every one of the last 4 seasons..

 

[lomekian]

Not really. The youth thing only really became more prominent post-Invincibles. Back in those days, Pennant and Aliadiere were like the main 2 youngsters who had significant rep and they didn't play all that much unless there was a League Cup game or some late minutes. Wenger was very liberal with the minutes in dead rubbers though, he always gave the kids a game when it didn't matter - but we didn't have as many back then it was just the two aforementioned. After that, we started to see a few guys like Karbasiyoon (spelling?), Seb Larsson (remember him?), Fabregas had just joined as a literal baby and who could forget David Bentley? . But that was mostly during or after the Invincibles, when the team started to get older and Wenger started rebuilding with an eye on the new stadium.

I was a big supporter of Project Youth and had we been able to keep hold of some of our better players it would have yielded better results. But Project Youth was a necessary evil at the time, rather than a super viable means of winning. It was meant to keep us afloat. IMO Wenger abandoning the philosophy post-2014 was one of the things that screwed us up in his later years as manager. We're in a position now where we don't really need to do that anymore - it feels a little more like 2001 Arsenal at the moment. Competitive but just marginally shy of a behemoth Manchester club. The only thing we don't have is a Thierry Henry.

EDIT: There was one defender we had who was really promising actually a REALLY long time ago but he died in a car accident IIRC. Can't remember his name but I remember that.

Niccolò Galli - was so far ahead of his peers at youth level, debuted in Serie A at 17 on loan from us then immediately killed (not his fault either)

 

[Tourbillion]

Niccolò Galli - was so far ahead of his peers at youth level, debuted in Serie A at 17 on loan from us then immediately killed (not his fault either)

Yep. Devastating news at the time. Didn't we name one of our training grounds or something after him?

 

[db10_therza]

Yep. Devastating news at the time. Didn't we name one of our training grounds or something after him?

Bologna did

 

[Arsenal1508]

So, he wanted him?
Or not?
Bolded part is contradiction.

This can be said for any young player and any manager.
If he's good, he will not be overlooked.

And what this means, he was forced upon?
Who forced Arteta to use ESR?

Did you only follow Arsenal the last 2 seasons and not the 2 8th place finishes?

Arteta choose Mustafi over Saliba which caused him to leave on loan to Olympique Marseille. Edu salvaged that situation for us.

Basically we had a very poor league form losing and Smith Rowe came into the side and we started winning. This is about right after the time Arteta couldn't understand why the great training wasn't translating to wins. He even had a rant on press conference about statistics that didn't add up.



He was persisting with **** players like Wilian.

 

[Melquiades]

Did you only follow Arsenal the last 2 seasons and not the 2 8th place finishes?

Arteta choose Mustafi over Saliba which caused him to leave on loan to Olympique Marseille. Edu salvaged that situation for us.

Basically we had a very poor league form losing and Smith Rowe came into the side and we started winning. This is about right after the time Arteta couldn't understand why the great training wasn't translating to wins. He even had a rant on press conference about statistics that didn't add up.



He was persisting with **** players like Wilian.

In a post where you’re criticizing Arteta for not playing young players you’re breezing by the bit where he inserted a 20 y/o ESR into the first 11 with a whopping 97 minutes of EPL experience before that point.

They didn’t persist with Willian. He was dropped after week 14 - shockingly early for the marquee signing from the previous summer - and replaced with an academy kid in ESR and only received a couple more starts the rest of the season due to injuries. They dropped him fast, even if the start of that season *felt* like it took forever.

 

[El Realista]

In a post where you’re criticizing Arteta for not playing young players you’re breezing by the bit where he inserted a 20 y/o ESR into the first 11 with a whopping 97 minutes of EPL experience before that point.

They didn’t persist with Willian. He was dropped after week 14 - shockingly early for the marquee signing from the previous summer - and replaced with an academy kid in ESR and only received a couple more starts the rest of the season due to injuries. They dropped him fast, even if the start of that season *felt* like it took forever.

He did because facking injuries as always

 

[Melquiades]

He did because facking injuries as always

Willian was withdrawn from 2 games over that Xmas break due to COVID precautions (tested negative) and then didn’t start another game for over 2 months.

He was dropped. And dropped very quickly considering his wages etc. You’re virtually never going to have a major signing who doesn’t get 15-20 starts to settle in … Willian got 12. It was a terrible freaking signing but the oft-repeated stuff that they just kept playing him all year is a total falsehood.

 

[HattoriHanzo]

Did you only follow Arsenal the last 2 seasons and not the 2 8th place finishes?

Arteta choose Mustafi over Saliba which caused him to leave on loan to Olympique Marseille. Edu salvaged that situation for us.

Basically we had a very poor league form losing and Smith Rowe came into the side and we started winning. This is about right after the time Arteta couldn't understand why the great training wasn't translating to wins. He even had a rant on press conference about statistics that didn't add up.



He was persisting with **** players like Wilian.

Melquiades already answered to you about ESR and Willian.

Seems to me that you haven't followed Arsenal at all during season 2021/22.
Because if you have, you would know that Saliba was in Marseille that season, and that Mustafi wasn't in Arsenal this season at all.
He left Arsenal 1st of February 2021.
So Arteta couldn't choose Mustafi over Saliba and caused him to go to Marseille.
Check your facts before you post this crap.

As far as Saliba, Arteta hates him so much that Saliba has become immediately starter in last 2 seasons (2416 minutes in Prem in 2022/23 and 3420 minutes in Prem last season - 90 minutes in all 38 matches)
And Saliba was so infuriated with Arteta that he has signed new contract with Arsenal in 2023 without much fuss.

 

[Arsenal1508]

It wa

Melquiades already answered to you about ESR and Willian.

Seems to me that you haven't followed Arsenal at all during season 2021/22.
Because if you have, you would know that Saliba was in Marseille that season, and that Mustafi wasn't in Arsenal this season at all.
He left Arsenal 1st of February 2021.
So Arteta couldn't choose Mustafi over Saliba and caused him to go to Marseille.
Check your facts before you post this crap.

As far as Saliba, Arteta hates him so much that Saliba has become immediately starter in last 2 seasons (2416 minutes in Prem in 2022/23 and 3420 minutes in Prem last season - 90 minutes in all 38 matches)
And Saliba was so infuriated with Arteta that he has signed new contract with Arsenal in 2023 without much fuss.

s the year before the OM loan. He spent half season with no football as we didn't register him. We registered Mustafi. Excuse was his mom passed away so Saliba head wasn't in place according to Arteta. Then following season, we loan OM...not even try him in preseason.

 

[Makavelii]

Why is this thread arguing about Arteta? Can we talk about Nwaneri?

 

[HattoriHanzo]

Why is this thread arguing about Arteta? Can we talk about Nwaneri?

Ask those who don't like Arteta and bash him on basically every thread.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

I think Arteta will surprise a lot of you guys with Ethan this season - moving on ESR, Vieira, Nelson is a *big* signal that Nwaneri is being elevated to first team status.

As an aside, obviously Wenger is well known for his ability to integrate youth but did he do this when we were going toe to toe with Manchester United from 98-04? I only started following Arsenal fully in 01/02 as a teenager so my memory isn't the best but I can't recall those Arsenal teams playing youth so much?

There weren't any from Hale End in that time period iirc but young players were brought in. Anelka, Richard Wright?, Aliadiere, Reyes, Pennant to name a few. Could also argue for Henry and Vieira. Cesc and Wilshere are the standout teenagers until Saka but a lot of our youth got run outs in the cups after Highbury. Nwaneri is still very young comparatively.

 

[blrgooner]

You do know this is absolutely not true right. Saka was a starter for months under Emery in 2019/2020 season

That's just not true. Sakas minutes after arteta came in at around the half way point in the season is twice the minutes he had before arteta came in. This includes time under ljungberg where he did start if I remember correctly.
Also saka is now one of the best RW in the world. Before arteta came in, saka hardly ever played RW.

 

[El Realista]

There weren't any from Hale End in that time period iirc but young players were brought in. Anelka, Richard Wright?, Aliadiere, Reyes, Pennant to name a few. Could also argue for Henry and Vieira. Cesc and Wilshere are the standout teenagers until Saka but a lot of our youth got run outs in the cups after Highbury. Nwaneri is still very young comparatively.

And not only teenagers but unknown talents that you wouldn't think another top team would give them a chance and overperformed like Adebayor and Song. You also forgot RvP who was given a lot of chances even being injured a lot of time. Later Walcott was playing for us at 17 also.

Wenger was clearly known from the beginning and a manager who could take a lot of risks. He definitely believed in his players and his own judge. He rotated a lot and cups were always played by subs.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

And not only teenagers but unknown talents that you wouldn't think another top team would give them a chance and overperformed like Adebayor and Song. You also forgot RvP who was given a lot of chances even being injured a lot of time. Later Walcott was playing for us at 17 also.

Wenger was clearly known from the beginning and a manager who could take a lot of risks. He definitely believed in his players and his own judge. He rotated a lot and cups were always played by subs.

Agree with all of this. Is was trying to confine the players to 1998-2004 as the original poster said. My glaring miss was Ashley Cole who was an academy youth and 22? at the start of the Invincible campaign. An expanded answer also includes Ox, Jeffers, Diaby, Flamini, Nasri and too many to mention.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Top clubs do not develop as many youngsters as this forum would have you believe.

Arteta has had one of the youngest squads in the league for few years now and this place also have yoi believe he doesny play young players at all.

 

[El Realista]

Agree with all of this. Is was trying to confine the players to 1998-2004 as the original poster said. My glaring miss was Ashley Cole who was an academy youth and 22? at the start of the Invincible campaign. An expanded answer also includes Ox, Jeffers, Diaby, Flamini, Nasri and too many to mention.

Apart from Adams, DB10 and Campbell I don't remember atm other players really established we bought. Henry had a very poor season with Juve before Wenger turned him in what M'bappe could only dream to be one day. I mean Wenger was so committed with young talents even he gave a lot of chances to guys like Denilson. This is why anyone who remotely tries to compare Arteta with Wenger about young players need their head to checked. Arteta was lucky Emery was before him to give chances to Saka, and Nelly and later Saliba had to be the best CB in France to give no excuses to him so he had to play him.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

Apart from Adams, DB10 and Campbell I don't remember atm other players really established we bought. Henry had a very poor season with Juve before Wenger turned him in what M'bappe could only dream to be one day. I mean Wenger was so committed with young talents even he gave a lot of chances to guys like Denilson. This is why anyone who remotely tries to compare Arteta with Wenger about young players need their head to checked. Arteta was lucky Emery was before him to give chances to Saka, and Nelly and later Saliba had to be the best CB in France to give no excuses to him so he had to play him.

Adams came through our academy and was captain at 21/22 iirc. Bergkamp had an awful time in Italy. Campbell was class and a free transfer! The first established talents after him was Özil and Alexis. Everyone else was a bit of a punt.