Arsenal 2020/21 Squad Review – Age profile of Arsenal squad just 24.5 years old

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“We don’t sign superstars, we make them” – Arsene Wenger, 2007.

In recent decades, Arsenal have been at their most successful when creating superstars rather than “going big” in the transfer market.

Under George Graham the team was built on youth team graduates – the likes of Tony Adams, Rocky Rocastle, Michael Thomas, Paul Davis & Paul Merson – alongside journeymen Englishmen bought from the likes of Stoke City, Wimbledon, Watford, Leicester City and Crystal Palace.

And the success of the Wenger era is built on buying the likes of Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Freddie Ljungberg, Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry, Kolo Toure, Lauren, Gilberto Silva and more.

This summer, Arsenal have refrained from bringing in well established senior pros and focused more on younger, hungrier talent.

No Willian, David Luiz or Stephan Lichsteiner bought in on the cheap. No big Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Nicolas Pepe Thomas Partey, or Alexandre Lacazette.

Takehiro Tomiyasu became the clubs 6th major signing of the summer, joining the club on deadline.

Signed from Bologna and just 22-years-old, he is the exact profile of all the other signings this year – young enough to have potential, old enough to have experience, and making a step-up from lesser club.

Tomiyasu has been joined by Ben White (23), Aaron Ramsdale (23), Martin Odegaard (22), Albert Sambi Lokonga (21) and Nuno Taveras (21).

These were added to an existing young core that includes Kieran Tierney (currently 24), Gabriel (23), Emile Smith Rowe (21), Bukayo Saka (19) and Gabriel Martinelli (21).

Every players signed was aged between 21 & 23. If Gary Neville thinks Arsenal’s transfer strategy is “a little bit all over the place” then it probably explains why he has failed as manager.

As always with Arsenal, there are some fans that have criticised this strategy.

They have complained that Arsenal have not added any senior quality. That we should have been focusing on established players aged between 28-30.

Focusing more on senior players has been our strategy in recent years.

“Short term fixes” is what I call them.

Bringing in senior players on big money to help us in the short term. It has failed, cost us a lot of money and actually made us worse.

The age profile of Arsenal’s first team squad makes interesting reading:

The 27 players in the squad have an average age of 24.5 years old.

We have added the talented younger players to go alongside more experienced players – 11 of the squad are 26 and over.

The likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette, Partey, Pepe, Xhaka and Leno will have a huge role to play showing leadership and experience (a debate for another day).

Mixed in with the 11 aged 26 and over, another 9 are over 21 with the remaining 7 being under 21.

It should be a squad with enough experience and quality to finish top 6 this season. It is also a squad youthful enough that it will grow and improve as we seek a return to the top 4.

Keenos

It’s fine that people hate us. It’s part of our history

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Keenos wrote a piece on here a couple of days ago about how Arsenal supporters were uniting against the media and the way they deliberately portray Arsenal Football Club. I wholeheartedly agree that we should all draw the cannons round and have them facing outwards right now – by the way, that includes those fools from YouTube who claim they’re Arsenal but really aren’t.

The Arsenal have always been at our best when realising that everyone hates us. It’s borne of jealousy passed down through generations, borne of Arsenal becoming the pre-eminent football club of the 1930s. I’ve always loved the idea that people dislike my club because of our class, our heritage and our success. Even when we’re rubbish and no real threat they continue to despise us and go out of their way to have a pop. That’s the power that the name of The Arsenal still carries.

George Graham made that anti-Arsenal feeling, especially in the media, one of the cornerstones of his motivational technique. He was even clever enough to use it on the Christmas VHS in 1990 to whip up the supporters with the staged team-talk at the training ground. George’s message was basically, “We’re The Arsenal. They hate us. Go out and be The Arsenal.” This is exactly what’s needed right now and I hope Mikel Arteta realises it.

I certainly think the match-going supporters will be doing their bit in that regard as the team tries to recover from the disastrous first three league games. Whoever instigated the whole squad standing in front of the away end at Man City perhaps understands the need to be The Arsenal but the whole thing needs bringing back to basics, as I’ll expand on below.

I mentioned Arsenal’s class and tradition a bit earlier and I remember well the day it started to be eroded. Along with quite a few others I was stood outside the players entrance at Derby County in November 1997 and we were all shocked to see Arsenal’s players get off the coach in tracksuits. Gone was the Arsenal blazer and tie. It was a mistake then and it’s still one 24 years later. They used to a play a voiceover from Bob Wilson in the pre-match video at Emirates Stadium saying, “It was just this feeling of turning up with this big gun on your chest…” and you realised how proud it made him and countless others like him. The likes of Brian Talbot, Eddie Kelly and co still turn up at supporters’ events now wearing their Arsenal tie, even their blazer! So why did Arsene Wenger stop it from happening? We’ve seen a decline in standards ever since.

The players today don’t know anything about that. Thomas Vermaelen tried to bring it back by insisting on a club suit when he was made skipper, but it was only used for home league games and “club occasions” such as their charity ball. We’ve had the quite disgraceful sight of Arsenal teams turning up at Wembley finals in tracksuits. What was that about being The Arsenal?

Before this group of players can start putting things right with their play on the pitch they need to be taught The Arsenal Way off the pitch. That means a few basics:

1. Club suits to be worn home and away

2. Club ties to be worn with top buttons fastened – this is The Arsenal

3. No more stupid headphones to be worn when arriving and representing The Arsenal

4. ALL outfield players will wear the same length shirt sleeves and no undershirts beneath short sleeves

5. If there is no need to change kits then Arsenal will ALWAYS wear red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts

6. Arsenal’s goalkeeper will wear green and never the outfield kit of their choice

7. The players will not wear a tracksuit top onto the pitch as though they are in a Wembley final every week – those red shirt with white sleeves show we are The Arsenal

8. The team will run to the centre of the pitch and line up before applauding all four sides of every stadium after entering the pitch

9. The Manager will wear his club suit at, and during, every fixture – no designer Guardiola lookalike rubbish

10. The Arsenal Captaincy will not be treated as unimportant and given to players on seniority on any measure other than being a leader

I know a lot of (mostly younger) people will see all this as superficial nonsense and has no bearing on the team. I got stick online a few years ago about the sleeves issue saying players should wear what makes them feel comfortable. Nonsense. This is The Arsenal. Those are the rules. If you don’t like it you don’t play. If the cannon weighs too heavily on you then find somewhere else.

There is a quote which is these days often incorrectly attributed to David Rocastle. Bertie Mee it was who coined “Remember who you are, what you are, and who you represent” and as a motto it should be right up there with Victoria Concordia Crescit. If you turn up to a game looking like a bunch of scruffy misfits you’ll probably end up playing like it, especially when most of the players aren’t top class in the first place.

Once we’ve sorted out some proper discipline and laid the ground rules of what it means to be The Arsenal, then we can start building this team into something to be proud of again. And hopefully we’ll see the mugs making a quid out of Arsenal’s misfortune get out of our club.

Dover Gooner

Turkey window still open to Arsenal pair

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One of the mysteries in the transfer window was Arsenal resisting a late bid from Everton to take Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan.

This led to an outburst from the no-longer-that-young Englishman who shared his frustration on Instagram.

It was a petulant action in an attempt to force a move out of the club. But it was an action he was perhaps forced into due to the clubs behaviour towards him.

Last summer he was on the verge of joining Wolves where he would have instantly gone in to replace Matt Doherty at right back.

At that stage he was on the fringes of the England squad with an outside chance of making it.

Someone at Arsenal decided late on that he would not be leaving the club and the deal fell through.

He would start just 5 league games before being loaned out to relegation-bound WBA; killing any chances he had of making the Euro’s squad.

You can appreciate his 12 months of frustration.

On the verge of leaving and then kept at the club. Whatever he was promised to remain did not materialise.

And now we are in the same situation.

He has played just 19 minutes of Premier League football this season, there was an offer on the table but Edu and Mikel Arteta have decided that they do not want to let him go again.

Most people thought this was because he might be utilised at right back with Hector Bellerin going to Real Betis. But then on transfer deadline day we signed Takehiro Tomiyasu. So why did we keep Maitland-Niles?

Could Mohamed Elneny be the answer?

Whilst the transfer window across the majority of Europe has shut, it is still open in Russia, Portugal and Turkey. It is the later which is of interest.

Elneny spent a solid year on loan at Besiktas in 2019 and his stock will still be high over there.

Last summer there were rumours of a Turkish return but he ended up remaining at Arsenal.

With one year left on his deal, and Arsenal having Thomas Partey, Albert-Sambi Lokonga and Granit Xhaka in the squad, Elneny could be off to turkey if a decent bid comes in. This would see Maitland-Niles “promoted” to 4th choice central midfielder.

Likewise Sead Kolasinac is still at the club.

Not only is he still an arsenal player but he played the last game against Manchester City, ahead of Pablo Mari. A strange decision by Mikel Arteta.

Not to long ago it seemed he was off to join great friend Mesut Ozil at Fenerbache.

That deal is yet to go through; but there is still plenty of time for it to happen.

With it being an international break, I do not expect either of these deals to be confirmed until next Wednesday, when the Turkish window shuts.

But I do expect both to leave us in the next 7 days.

Keenos