Over the years, Arsenal Football Club has prided itself when it comes to developing young talents and rewarding them for their hard work. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are just two names on a very long list of players who have climbed through the Hale End ranks before establishing themselves at senior level for both club and country.
However, the most exciting part is that new names just keep on coming. Most recently, Mikel Arteta has handed first-team opportunities to the likes of Charlie Patino, Omari Hutchinson and Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand but some fresh faces are set to travel with the squad to Selhurst Park tonight.
18-year-old Marcelo Flores and 19-year-old Mazeed Ogungbo are understood to have both received call-ups to the Arsenal squad, as the Gunners look to close the gap on Chelsea to just two points this evening. It is not currently known whether the decision to include the pair is due to any senior absences, or it is simply to reward them for their promising displays with the U23s.
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Nonetheless, it is still an amazing opportunity and one which provides Arteta and technical director Edu the chance to confirm crucial plans for this summer's transfer window. It is set to be another busy one for Arsenal, who spent a record high of £150m on six new players last year.
football.london understands owner Stan Kroenke is backing a significant transfer outlay again this time around, with two forwards, a central midfielder and backup right-back on Arteta's shopping list. With so much to potentially do, all eyes will be on the young stars in the meantime just in case they can prevent unnecessary expenditure.
Following several departures in January, Arsenal's squad has greatly diminished over the last year and that is expected to continue this summer. Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah and Mohamed Elneny all see their contracts expire at the end of the season, while Bernd Leno, Granit Xhaka and Nicolas Pepe have been linked with moves away.
In addition to the increasing likelihood of further sales, the Premier League has confirmed that five substitutes will be permitted for use from next season instead of the traditional three, meaning greater squad depth will be required for all top-flight clubs.
Combining these two factors only reiterates the need for an ambitious summer at London Colney, but the timings of the academy call-ups mean the likes of Flores and Ogungbo can prove that they have what it takes to become first-team regulars.
Now is their time to shine, potentially helping Arteta and Edu focus on more urgent areas of need in the process. Although there is no doubt that certain positions within the squad must be strengthened with top-quality additions this summer, opportunities for the youth must remain and a healthy balance will have to be found.
