Who comes after Bukayo Saka?

The Arsenal have enjoyed, for a long time, a real production line of talented players coming through the ranks. Whether they joined as early as 9 years of age, or signed from abroad and placed into the academy set up. Arsene Wenger was famous for spending much of his time nurturing this young talent. The term ’unearthing a gem’ took on a new meaning in Wenger’s tenure. It’s a phrase that the club have tried desperately hard to maintain.

Cesc Fabregas is possibly the most famous and most successful graduate of the Arsenal academy set up. Signed for the academy from Barcelona at the age of 16, he actually made his debut at the age of 17. Not every player to come through the academy would go on to be hugely successful, and some have to leave to make a name for themselves. However, it’s clear that hierarchy in the club truly value the idea of developing a player.

We hear a lot about the next Thierry Henry coming through, or the next Tony Adams, which is okay for the casual supporter to have an idea on what this player might be like. But, it’s always important to let the player develop in his own way and not have too much pressure on their shoulders. Having said that, it‘s exciting to see what the future of Arsenal might look like. This is what this post is about.

It‘s clear that Mikel Arteta is investing in youth and attempting to build a squad to pave a way back into Champions League football. The likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Martin Odegaard, Albert Sambi-Lokonga being bought with this project in mind. Combined with players such as Emile Smith-Rowe, Folarin Balogun and of course Bukayo Saka coming through the ranks and you get an extremely talented squad ready to propel the club back in and amongst the big boys.

For this model to become a success, the revolving door of talent can’t ever stop. Whether they turn into important squad members, or generate funds for the club, one eye must be kept on the future. So, I’ll be casting my eye on 10 players to keep your eyes on. These are in no particular order.

1) MIGUEL AZEEZ

Miguel has been on the radar of Arsenal fans for some time now. Very much a will he, won’t he situation for him right now. He seemed ready to burst onto the scene in much the same fashion as Saka, when he made his professional debut back in December 2020. He was a second half substitute in a Europa League fixture against Dundalk. Despite his good showings in the U-23 team, he finds himself out on loan to Portsmouth for this current campaign. A central midfielder by trait, but does most of his damage further up the pitch. Slick on the ball, with a good eye for goal, especially on the edge of the box. Interesting to note that a recall clause was embedded in his loan deal to Portsmouth.

2) KARL HEIN

With the acquisition of Aaron Ramsdale and the promotion of Arthur Okwonko, it would seem that Hein’s future chances in the team will be limited. Despite this, he is a regular for his national team of Estonia. The likes of Manchester United and Juventus had their eye on him before he signed for the Gunners, which goes to show highly rated he is. With Bernd Leno’s future in doubt, he could get his promotion to the first team in a short while. Seemingly able to adapt to any situation, he recently turned in a Man of the Match display against Wales in a World Cup qualifier. In which he thwarted Gareth Bale on a couple of occasions. Helping his national team to a 0-0 draw in a game they were billed to lose.

3) CHARLIE PATINO

A name that has emerged in recent months and certainly turned many heads. With eye-catching performances for the U-23’s, he’s fast becoming the next starlet to make their competitive debut. Fans of Arsenal are calling for Arteta to include him in upcoming EFL Cup squads and even in the Premier League. Very, very highly rated within the club with big things expected from him in the future. Operating as a central midfielder like Azeez, however, he likes to do his business in the early stages of an attack. Receiving the ball deep, turning sharply and spreading play. The player who will break through an opposition press and get the team up the pitch. Hopefully he’ll get his chance in the first team soon.

4) MIKA BIERETH

Arsenal have been doing some major work in recruiting for the future and that’s not limited to the first team. Biereth signed from Fulham in the summer of this year on the back of an impressive campaign with the U-18’s. Scoring 21 goals and assisting 13. It’s clear he’s a menace for opposition defenders. His highlights reel indicate that, although predominantly played through the middle, he can be effective anywhere across the front three. Incredibly efficient in front of goal and is the kind of player that makes you wonder how they managed to even get a shot away, let alone a goal. He’s kickstarted his career at Arsenal in devastating fashion, recently notching a hat-trick against Chelsea U-23’s. A game which Arsenal won 6-1. He’ll be directly competing for first team minutes with Folarin Balogun, but with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette potentially on the move they might end up sharing the responsibility.

5) MARCELO FLORES

The midfield position is certainly very well guarded for the future with Flores also operating in midfield. However, he has been known to play out wide. Moving to the club in 2019 from Ipswich Town and starting in the U-18 team, he has since moved up to the U-23’s. A diminutive figure that can weave his way through opponents like water through a pipe. He moves the ball fast and likes to play the intricate one-two passing. Often known to cut inside and skip around a few challenges before unleashing a shot towards goal. He’s not a player you want to give an inch to as he will definitely exploit any space. He’s an interesting prospect in terms of where he’ll fit into the first team, but whatever position he ends up in, he’ll cause problems for the opposition.

6) DANIEL BALLARD

Perhaps a surprise entry for some, considering his age, but still yet to make his break through at Arsenal. At the age of 22, he’s the oldest on this list, but also the most experienced at first team level. Swindon Town, Blackpool and Millwall are on his resume to date with 34 appearances between them, at the time of writing this. It’s at Blackpool that his profile grew. Tough as nails and willing to scrap it out if needs be. He now finds himself a regular at Millwall and the Northern Ireland national team. A player not to be slept on, he’s working his way up the hard way and that could be extremely beneficial for Arsenal in the future. However, with William Saliba also out on loan and seriously impressing, it may be a while until we see his name in the Arsenal squad.

7) OMARI HUTCHINSON

A player in the same bracket at Charlie Patino. All players on this list are good and huge prospects, but a couple have a little more expectations weighing on their shoulders. Hutchinson is one of those. Despite only recently featuring in the U-23 team, he’s been making waves in the U-18 team. While he mainly operates as a winger, he has actually turned out at left-back in a couple of games, as well as a few minutes in the attacking midfield role. Skilful, quick and able to slalom his way past players like they aren’t even there. He has the ability to turn a game on its head from his constant desire to beat an opponent. With Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe usually deployed in the wide man role, there’s case to be argued that there’s a shortage in this area. Hutchinson isn’t ready yet, but next pre season could be a huge one for him.

8) JOEL LOPEZ

For the purpose of identifying a few different positions to keep an eye on, it’s only fair we take a look at the full backs. Like Hector Bellerin, Lopez was signed from the Barcelona youth set up back in 2018. He enjoyed very early promise in his Arsenal career, having been included in a Europa League fixture against Slavia Prague. He also linked up with the U-23 squad as early as last season. Enjoying a full campaign under his belt. With a recruitment drive in the senior team, two fullbacks have been brought in ahead of young Lopez. Nuno Tavares and Takehiro Tomayisu. This has somewhat halted his path upwards, but I’m sure opportunities will be granted to the left-back. However, these might come in the shape of a loan spell.

9) NIKOLAJ MÖLLER

Möller was another academy inspired signing, with Malmö the club he departed from. Standing at 6ft4, he’s a formidable presence on the pitch and has drawn a comparison with his fellow countryman, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It’s not just his height that the comparison begins and ends, Möller possesses fantastic technical ability which Zlatan is famed for. He’s able to hold up the ball extremely well and then execute a pass accordingly. When he arrived in London he was placed straight into the U23 team where he made his debut against Manchester City U23’s. Despite a 4-1 drubbing, Möller scored Arsenal’s consolation goal. From there he went on to score six more goals in that campaign. For the current season he finds himself on loan at Viktoria Koln, who ply their trade in the third tier of German football. As mentioned in Biereth’s post, there is some very stiff competition for a place in the Arsenal first team. His unique skill set could be the deciding factor in his career, so it’ll be interesting to see what option Mikel Arteta will take.

10) TYREECE JOHN-JULES

As with Miguel Azeez, John-Jules has been on the cusp of a breakthrough season at the Gunners for a couple of seasons now. Possessing a huge amount of talent, it seems as though the club are looking to get him some experience first. Similar to Emile Smith-Rowe who spent time at Huddersfield before his breakthrough. For Tyreece, this will be his third loan spell having turned out for Lincoln City, Doncaster Rovers and now Blackpool. Throwing his name into the hat for striking options, he’s a player that likes to play on the shoulder of the central defenders. Relying on his pace and strength to get him through on goal. Known for crafty finishing and a real tenacity in the box to at least get a shot away. With more minutes under his belt at first team level than any other young forward on this list, some would say he’s closer to that prestigious spot in the senior team than the others.

Of course there are plenty of honourable mentions that I could list, in fact any player in the youth set up could make a case to be a star one day. Patience, attitude, hunger and a dash of luck will be the requirements for this next generation. I’ll be keen to revisit this post in a few years and see how they’re all getting on.