The Gunners have put several youngsters on the path to stardom but now need to find a way to make more money on the players they produce
Serge Gnabry, Ismael Bennacer, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, and Donyell Malen. At first glance, just a shortlist of talented young footballers with no obvious deeper connection.
Take a closer look, however, and you'll notice that all four share a past at Arsenal, failed to make the grade at the Emirates Stadium and have since gone on to make a name for themselves elsewhere.
Malen, meanwhile, opted to continue his career at Eredivisie powerhouse PSV in 2017 and now finds himself on the verge of a first call-up for the Dutch national side.
The winger, however, was not convinced the Premier League was the right place for him to take the next step in his development and rejected the chance to sign a new deal.
“It was the right decision [to leave Arsenal],” Gnabry said shortly after his move to Werder. “I wanted to get more playing time and it worked. Arsenal wanted to keep me, badly. But I had to look after my development.”
Bennacer’s situation, meanwhile, was slightly different. Although there was little doubt the Algeria international had plenty of potentials, Arsene Wenger wasn’t convinced he had what it takes to make his mark at Arsenal.
"According to Wenger, there were many players in midfield at the club,” Bennacer said upon his departure. “After that, I did not want to take chances and waste more time. I wanted to play consistently.”
There's no denying the midfielder has since made significant steps, but the fact that Arsenal opted against exercising their buy-back option shows they feel he is not at the level required at the Gunners.
Reine-Adelaide, meanwhile, seemed destined for a bright future at Arsenal when he made his first-team debut at the tender age of 17, but his development seemingly stagnated, partially due to physical problems.
Wenger had not given up on him when Reine-Adelaide went out on loan to Anger, but new boss Unai Emery happily cashed in on the versatile midfielder after replacing the legendary Arsenal boss in 2018, with Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, and Emile Smith Rowe all having moved ahead of him in the pecking order.
Malen, finally, joined the club as one of the best around in his age category, but found the physicality of the English game difficult and did not develop at the pace the club had hoped for upon his arrival.
They still saw a future for the gifted attacker at the club, but Malen's desire to return to the Netherlands in order to get his career back on track prompted them to allow him a move back to his native country.
“It's not true that Arsenal sent me away. I still had a contract for a year and Arsenal were keen to renew it," Malen told De Telegraaf earlier this year. "But football is not about money for me. That's never been the case. I would not have left England otherwise.”
Players like Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nelson recently made the step up, but it’s survival of the fittest and the likes of Gnabry, Bennacer, Reine-Adelaide and Malen all slipped through the cracks.
If Arsenal can build on that in the future, their youth academy will not only start to pay off on the pitch, but off it as well.