With the season at a close and the transfer window open, many players are released or retained from clubs across the country.
Today I am looking at ten former Arsenal players who have graduated through the renowned Hale End academy and how they performed this season.
10. Josh DaSilva:
Josh left Arsenal in 2018 after struggling to break into the first team from the academy. Since then, the holding midfielder has carved his way into the holding midfield spot at Brentford, who were unlucky not to be promoted in 2020, but given a second chance and was promoted to the Premier League for the first time in club history this season.
At only 22 years of age, Dasilva has made five appearances for England Under 21s. He scored 5 goals and 4 assists in 30 appearances for Brentford this campaign. With the Bees playing Premier League football this season,
Josh will likely clash with the Gunners next season as he has proved that he is an irreplaceable part of the Bees’ backbone.
9. Ismael Bennacer:
In a campaign that saw Milan finish in second place, Ismael had a below-average season with no goals and only two assists in 21 appearances in the Serie A. Bennacer left Arsenal with no appearances either, having thrived in the youth team from the midfield but not good enough to receive a promotion to the first team.
At 23 years of age, however, the Algerian looks like he was overshadowed this season by two of the best & young central midfielders in the league in Franck Kessie and Sandro Tonali.
With links with Premier League champions Manchester City and their neighbors, Manchester United developing last year for £36 million, who knows what the summer transfer window holds for Ismael.
Although there has been no official report that he wants out of the Rossoneri it is destined that many clubs will try and pursue his signature in the future.
8. Glen Kamara:
The second player on this list to have won a domestic title is Glen Kamara, another holding midfielder this time in Scotland for Rangers.
In a season that was overshadowed by a racism incident in the Europa League in late March against Slavia Prague, it goes unnoticed how crucial Glen was to the side that overcame Celtic to the trophy. Paired with Canadian midfielder Joe Aribo, Kamara was a key asset defensively in all 30 appearances in the SPFL.
The Finnish midfielder left in 2017 and found Rangers in 2019 after spells at Southend, Colchester and Dundee. His performances have caused Arsenal to reflect on their mistake and were linked in April with a transfer to bring him back to the Emirates, although recently he has shutdown speculation about leaving the Ibrox.
With Finland over the Euros, Glen played well, but not well enough to qualify for the latter stages.
7. Nico Yennaris (Li Ke)
By far one of the weirdest names on the list, Nico Yennaris (or now known as Li Ke) has spent the last two years abroad in China for Beijing Guoan.
Born Nicholas Harry Yennaris in Leytonstone, Yennaris has changed his name and nationality to play for China. He is now known as Li Ke to locals, and at 28, seems to be earning a high wage for what he has sacrificed.
Since 2019, Li Ke has made 5 appearances for the Chinese national team, and with such bizarre actions, who knows what is in store for the defensive midfielder who was in contention for a first-team spot at Arsenal only seven years ago.
6. Carlos Vela:
At 32 years of age, Carlos isn’t one of those players who struggled to get into the Arsenal squad and was released. He is well known to Gooners as an unsung hero despite how average the stats look on paper.
Now playing at Los Angeles FC, a fairly recently introduced club in America, in 70 total appearances Carlos has converted 52 goals.
At a relatively old age, it is unsure how long Vela will continue for but as one of the faces of the MLS in the USA, you can expect him to pop up in headlines for game-winning performances from time to time.
5. Havard Nordtveit:
The 31-year-old Norwegian defender has had his fair share of travelling to different clubs in the past few years but has seemed to settle in the Bundesliga for TSG Hoffenheim.
Havard spent his time at Arsenal in the youth ranks from 2007 to 2011 making no appearances and leaving for Borussia Monchengladbach where he played consistently well with a few injuries for 5 years. His career then took a bizarre return to England, with a one-year stint in London at West Ham.
In 2017, he found his way back in Germany in the starting eleven of Hoffenheim before falling out of favour and flying back to London yet again, this time with Fulham. Nordtveit has made 51 appearances for Norway since he left the Gunners and is still getting decent game time in one of Europe’s best leagues.
4. Donyell Malen:
The recent breakthrough of 22-year-old Donyell Malen has provided not only PSV but also the Netherlands international team with more attacking threats. In 32 matches this season, Malen had 19 goals and 8 assists, second to Georgios Giakoumakis for VVV-Venlo with 26.
This subsequently resulted in Donyell being called up to the Euro 2020 squad for the Netherlands. Some Arsenal fans had heard about Donyell back in 2015 in the youth team, sort of similar to Folarin Balogun nowadays.
He was released in 2017 to Jong PSV where he has been promoted all the way through and is now one of the best players in the league.
At only 22, the Dutchman has 11 games under his belt for his country and is destined for a move in the next few years to a big club in Europe.
3. Joe Willock:
I’ve decided to choose only one current Arsenal player, but Joe was on loan to Newcastle since January so doesn’t count as the elected player. The May Premier League player of the Month scored four goals in the month itself, and seven in a row altogether.
In 14 matches since January, Willock had eight goals- more than he had for Arsenal in 40 appearances. Joe has been a part of the Arsenal academy since he was 7 years old and broke through the first team in 2017.
He was loaned out in January as he lacked game time, but it seems that his performances will gain him a chance to be reconsidered in the side next season.
Arteta has stated his plans to include Willock in the side next season, and it’s unlikely that the Gunners will accept any bid that the Magpies come in with during the transfer window.
2. Bukayo Saka:
The current Arsenal player that I have chosen to go for on this list is none other than Bukayo Saka. Like Donyell and Glen Kamara, Bukayo is also featuring in Euros for England after making the cut for the 26-man squad.
The 19-year-old is one of the best young prospects in the world, and his performances domestically and internationally in any position whether it be on the left-hand side or the right or defence, midfield & attack. Bukayo is a crucial asset for the Gunners and England.
In 41 matches for the Gunners, he has 7 goals and 5 assists in the Europa League and Premier League. When players play well at Arsenal, they tend to leave after convincing offers so Arsenal must ensure that they can keep him and play him regularly week in and week out.
1. Serge Gnabry
The final player on the list is arguably one of the best players in the past few seasons worldwide and the top 5 in the Bundesliga. Having let go of him in 2016 after 10 appearances in the main side, it has proved to be one of the worst mistakes by the Gunners.
Serge had stints at West Brom, then Werder Bremen where he was found and snapped quickly by league leaders Bayern Munich in 2017. In 88 appearances for Der FCB, there have been 32 goals as a result, and 10 this campaign out of that total.
His breakout performance came in the Champions League last year against rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a 7-2 defeat, where Gnabry scored 4 goals and won man of the match.
At only 25 years old, the Bayern man is already leading the front line for Germany along with Chelsea’s striker Timo Werner, and although the whole team’s Euros performance was average, to say the least, his versatility and pace makes Serge one of the best players to watch out for in the future.