00:08Arsenal's Hayland Academy has a strong record of producing first-team ready, first-team players.
00:13And no matter your generation, you'll be aware of at least one graduate, whether it's Tony Adams,
00:17Rocky Roecastle, Ashley Cole, Jack Wilshere, Alex Iwobi, or Bukayo Saka.
00:22The list stretches far and wide.
00:24But in 2026, Arsenal are a different beast.
00:27The standard required to get into this starting XI is higher than it has ever been in the past 20
00:32years,
00:33and the demands of fighting on all four fronts have led to extensive business being done in the transfer market.
00:38So today, with one youngster on loan in France and another struggling for minutes,
00:42we're looking at whether or not the club's newfound success has come at the expense of its best young players.
00:47The obvious answer to this is no, because Arsenal have integrated the likes of Max Daumann and Marley Salmon this
00:53season.
00:53Despite their Premier League title challenge and competing on multiple fronts,
00:57opportunities for youngsters have been there,
00:59just perhaps not at the same volume for players who were flavour of the month in seasons past.
01:04It's a much more nuanced debate than a simple yes or no answer too.
01:07Each player is judged by the Arsenal staff on a case-by-case basis.
01:11There certainly hasn't been a blanket decision by the club's hierarchy to turn their back on young players
01:16in lieu of greater experience and a win-now mentality.
01:19That would be daft.
01:20And, as we saw against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg,
01:24couldn't be further from the truth.
01:26What happened over the summer though has definitely played a part.
01:28Arsenal have depth now and lots of it.
01:31Martin Zubivendi joined from Real Sociedad, padding out the midfield,
01:34while Piero Hincapié signed from Bayer Leverkusen, strengthening the defence.
01:38Arsenal effectively have two 11s that are capable of playing Champions League football.
01:42The problem is, one of these so-called wonder kids
01:45has only been making it into the second 11 for much of the season,
01:48and the other is on the bench in Ligue 1.
01:51When you're competing with Manchester City, PSG, Bayern, Munich and Atletico for titles,
01:55there's very little room to blood youngsters, at least regularly anyway.
01:59Arteta has prioritised established internationals,
02:02leaving the younger prospects in a difficult position,
02:04not yet experienced enough to displace world-class starters in the title race.
02:12Let's look at Myles Lewis Skelly then,
02:14because if you hadn't guessed already, he's one of the players we're talking about.
02:17He's 19 now and despite his versatility in midfield and at left-back,
02:21has played less this season than he did in his breakout year.
02:24According to Transfermarkt, Lewis Skelly is under contract until June 2030,
02:29having signed an extension last summer.
02:31This is important because it's a long-term commitment for Arsenal
02:33and a long-term commitment from Lewis Skelly.
02:36Usually, a contract of this length for a teenage S suggests the club either has
02:39a clear long-term plan to integrate them steadily,
02:42or they're protecting his market value.
02:45If Lewis Skelly doesn't ultimately break through in the way he briefly did during 2024-25,
02:49that long contract ensures Arsenal can still demand a high transfer fee,
02:53most likely in the £30 million plus range.
02:56And before you all get agitated, that's a conservative estimate.
02:59Do not come for me.
03:00The fact that he hasn't been sent on loan suggests Arteta wants him close to the first team
03:04to learn the system, but without the minutes, his development risks stalling.
03:09At international level, Lewis Skelly made his England debut on the back of a breakout campaign last year,
03:13but most recently, back in March 2026, he was down with the under-21s.
03:18That means he most likely won't be going to the World Cup.
03:21And of the five starts he's made for the three lines,
03:23two have been against Latvia, one versus Andorra, and there was another against Albania.
03:28He hasn't yet faced the cream of the international crop
03:31and is unlikely to be tested against top-tier opponents anytime soon
03:34if he's not currently in Thomas Tuchel's plans.
03:37And that could be a problem.
03:39But is that better or worse than playing in another country altogether?
03:42Because that's where Arsenal fans will find their other recent academy graduate.
03:46Before we get to that though, a quick one from me to tell you about our latest offer here at
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04:04And if that wasn't enough, by signing up now,
04:07you'll get the next issue, our World Cup issue, completely free.
04:10It comes with a World Cup wall chart and supplement as well,
04:13so the link's in the description if you want to get on it.
04:15But for now, let's get back to the video.
04:21Then we have Ethan Moneri.
04:23He made headlines as the Premier League's youngest ever player,
04:26and Arsenal worked hard to sign him to a professional deal amid interest from Manchester City.
04:30This season, he's been sent on loan to Marseille in Ligue 1,
04:33as it became apparent there wouldn't be an abundance of opportunities at the Emirates Stadium.
04:37Marseille aren't a bad team to represent,
04:39especially on a footballing year abroad as part of Mikel Arteta's Erasmus scheme,
04:42sort of way.
04:43They're perennial high finishers in France's top flight,
04:46play Champions League football this year,
04:48and have one of the largest fan bases in the country.
04:50So you could say it's a good dress rehearsal for becoming a key player with the Gunners.
04:54Warneri is another who signed a long-term contract extension last summer,
04:57and has only recently turned 19 himself.
04:59The move to Marseille was intended to give him the high-pressure experience
05:03he couldn't get at the Emirates,
05:04and statistically, the loan has been a success.
05:06In 24 appearances, he's recorded 5 goals and 4 assists at the time of recording.
05:10He's playing regularly in a top 5 European league,
05:13which is exactly what he needed.
05:15But, of course, it's not been plain sailing entirely.
05:18Marseille head coach Habib Bey recently commented on Warneri's attitude,
05:21asking the young Arsene for greater commitment.
05:24Hmm.
05:25In his defence, Warneri probably wouldn't have reached the level he has on talent alone,
05:29so there's probably more to that story than meets the eye.
05:32And because I'm not fluent in French,
05:33I won't be asking Habib Bey what he means by greater commitment.
05:36The question remains though, where does he fit when he returns?
05:39Warneri is a natural attacking midfielder,
05:42but as long as Ebreze and Martin Odegaard are fit,
05:45and in form, that role is occupied.
05:47Arsenal's difficulty in the past was tying him to a long-term deal,
05:50whereas now the difficulty is finding a spot for him in a winning team.
05:54There's no issue with regards to his talent,
05:56but there could soon be convincing Warneri of his place in the Arsenal setup moving forward.
06:00Because players of his natural ability do not come around all that often,
06:04even if Heilend has a habit of producing them.
06:06So have Arsenal given up on them?
06:09It's more likely that Arsenal are following the likes of Manchester City or Real Madrid's sort of model.
06:14In these elite teams, you don't just get a chance because you're from the academy.
06:17You have to prove you're elite first, whether that be elsewhere on loan or in-house.
06:22Louis Skelly and Warneri have stepped out and put their heads above the parapet.
06:26They've done that much and they should be credited for it.
06:28But, much like winning teams, it's not the first victory that's the toughest.
06:32It's staying there and then maintaining that dominance.
06:35The Warneri loan shows Arsenal are trying to bridge that gap by testing him at a high level,
06:40and the long-term contracts for both show they still value them as assets.
06:43So, definitively speaking, Arsenal haven't given up.
06:46But the era of academy players walking into the first team because the squad is thin is over.
06:51These wonderkids now have to be as good as the world-class players ahead of them.
06:54This is football, after all, a ruthless business.
06:57So if they don't make the near-impossibly high grade, there's always the chance they'll be sold.
07:01The reward, though, becoming an Arsenal regular over several years, will be immense.
07:05Just ask any Arsenal fan how they feel about Pakai Osaka.
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