Given how much of Arsenal’s success this season has come courtesy of their young players, it is little surprise that Mikel Arteta is wondering how to squeeze Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard into the same team.
The quartet, who have an average age of just 21, have all sparkled at times, but circumstances have usually meant Arteta has been unable to play his Fab Four together.
Odegaard did not arrive until the end of August, Smith Rowe struggled with injury in November and December and Martinelli was suspended against Brentford last Saturday.
Tonight at Wolves, though, Arteta has his quartet of young stars at his disposal and could name them in the same starting XI for only the third time this season.
“I am tempted, yes,” said Arteta. “Because they want to play and when you see players training and playing the way they do, you want to throw them all on the pitch. Unfortunately, 11 is the limit.”
On the occasions Martinelli, Odegaard, Saka and Smith Rowe have all started together, the latter has dropped into midfield to play in a 4-3-3.
That has allowed Alexandre Lacazette to lead the line, but Arteta has floated the idea that Martinelli or Smith Rowe could do that job instead.
“It depends on the role you want them to play and the role you want from the nine,” he said. “They have very different qualities, they would change our structure and the spaces that we would attack, the positions that would threaten, how they fix the opponent in certain areas.
“It would depend on the behaviour of the opposition as well, to understand which context would benefit both of them.”
The idea of seeing Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli and Odegaard together is an exciting prospect. But as Arsenal hunt Champions League qualification, sticking with Lacazette as the team’s striker seems the wisest option.
Arsenal have looked to the future with a lot of their squad building, but this feels like a moment to think short term. Lacazette may not be firing in the goals — he has scored just three Premier League goals this season — but he still brings a lot to this Arsenal team.
Much of his work goes under the radar, such as his link play for Saka’s winning goal in the 2-1 win against Brentford last weekend. Then there is the fact that the Frenchman has assumed the role of captain and his presence in the dressing room, which is the youngest in the Premier League, cannot be overlooked.
“He has a really important role in the team,” said Arteta. “Off the field and on it. He has been unlucky because he has had the chances to score as well in the last few weeks. The goals will come.”
A win tonight would take Arsenal to within a point of fourth-placed Manchester United in the race for Champions League qualification.
The Gunners have three games in hand on United and their situation is growing in expectation, when at the start of the season they were living off hope. Handling that pressure will be key and the experience of Lacazette could be vital to that.
