With an average age of just 25.3 years, Arsenal are the youngest side in the 2021/2022 Premier League season. Over the last few campaigns we’ve seen the departures of Bellerin, Giroud, Sokratis, David Luiz, Willian, Mhkytaryan, Koscielny and Nacho Monreal.
Do I miss any of them? No.
Their departures have opened the path way to the current crop of Arsenal talent from Hale End and a far. Arteta’s young Gun’s are shinning. Saka and Co are stealing the limelight from Arsenal’s more experienced players. Pepe, Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Leno, Elneny, Kolasinac and Soares have already lost their places in Mikel’s starting XI, whilst Aubameyang and Partey are holding on, there are calls from the fanbase to see Martinelli start upfront, over our Captain in this weekends fixture against old foes Man United.
As Arsenal prepare for life without Lacazette and an aging Aubemeyang, I’ve noticed a reoccurring theme in discussions amongst the faithful and pundits, that Arsenal should start recruiting more “experienced” players. I have no issue with Arsenal signing “experienced” players, but then when its comes to the names I hear being mentioned, I think to myself, “Well what experience does he have, that’s going to have us challenging for titles?”
We’ve all read the transfers rumours linking Arsenal to a whole host of strikers. Dominic Calvert Lewin, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, En Nesyri, Dusan Vlahovic, Alexander Isak etc etc etc.
The irony is that although everyone I speak to tells me we need experience, but they’d all choose Vlahovic and Isak over the rest of the more “experienced” names mentioned, still none of these players are barely even 25.
Tifo coincidentally did a piece on Youtube recently, looking into the conundrum of peak player ages in football.
Tifo state that strikers “have the most well defined aging patterns of all the positions”…”they rise to prominence in their early 20’s and Peak around 27” with only the true greats playing well into their 30’s, to paraphrase.
A quick pop over to Whoscored.com to check the top 10 goal scorers in Europe’s 5 big leagues and there’s hardly a 27-year-old in sight. The closest player to 27 is Hellas Verona’s, 26yr old Giovanni Simeone. I’ve not got a lot against Simeone but he’s hardly the name on most Gunner’s lips, in fact the only club I’ve seen interested enough to gain media attention is West Ham.
The rest of the Top 10 looks like this.
Simeone happens to be the only player between the ages of 21 and 29. Vlahovic, Vinicius.Jr and Jonathan David making up the younger contingent, whilst Salah edges closer to joining, Lewandowski, Benzema, Immobile, Zapata and Vardy in the over 30’s club.
Not many Arsenal fans would be thrilled at the prospect of signing a player of 30 years or older, but I bet they and you would be if it were Lewandowski? Most Gunners would take a 21 year Vlahovic over most other experienced strikers, if only he would answer Edu’s calls? So what does age matter?
Very little in my opinion. Why would we sign someone older for the sake of it, especially if there were viable prospects to pursue? In my latest “Wannabe Arsenal Scout Report” I wanted to shine a spotlight on 2 Bundesliga talents that I think would suit Arsenal to a tee. Germany U21 Captain and top scorer for Mainz 05 Jonathan Burkardt, and 20yr old Gladbach box to box dynamo Kouadio Kone. I didn’t pick these two players just because they’re young. I picked them for their mentality, consistency and because they are showing they have qualities Arsenal need and to be great.
Of course, not many have heard or seen much of Burkardt, so why would I or anyone choose him over the likes of Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and Dominic Calvert Lewin? I mean with all their Champions/Europa League experience, prolific goal scoring, challenging year in year out for Premier League titles, of course, it would be silly to choose a German who’s scored more than each of them this season.
I’m sorry to make jokes but it’s true. When people say they want experienced players, I imagine titles winners, players that have been lighting up the Champions League, not players that have been doing pretty good at lower league clubs. Besides goals, I’m not sure these players are even bringing much winning mentality along with them. I’m not heartless, I know it’s unfair to pick on Calvert Lewin since he’s been injured most of the season, but again, do we really need to be signing a striker that’s been out of the game nearly the whole season? I apologize to fellow Gooner Ollie Watkins too, because I probably would be reasonably happy if we were to sign him.
My grievance is that none of these players are world-class in my opinion, and Arsenal are going to have a hard time trying to attract any proven world-class talent whilst we’re still without Champions League. The next best thing is to carry on doing what we’re doing and recruiting potential world-class talent. Arteta and Edu have blown all the fans away with their signings, no one expected Arsenal to be this close to the top 4 by the end of transfer deadline day and once again we are seeing more of our side breaking into national squads.
If Arteta can continue getting rid of dead weight and bulking up this squad with even more potential, under the noses of our rivals, than in a year or so our average age goes up, our own players become more experienced and we are challenging for titles with our own Arsenal made superstars. For those not getting game time, we sell them for a profit, just as Le Professor would have wanted.
For years Arsenal have suffered due to poor recruitment, so much so that even when Arsenal have threatened by spending big, we’ve fallen short by thinking a couple of word class stars are enough to drag the rest of the team through the season, which has often resulted in our experienced players leaving and our youth following them thinking this club isn’t moving in the right direction.
If Arsenal go blow their budget on a couple “experienced players” and we fall in to the same old routines, of world-class talent leaving because there’s too much youth around them, or simply not playing well enough like Willian, Pepe and Laca, then we’re back at the drawing board, going round in circles making the same mistakes as we did when we left Highbury and when we failed to supplement Ozil and Sanchez correctly.
My point is, if we’re going to sign experienced players, make sure they are players that are bringing the experience of winning trophies with the intention of winning titles ourselves, not just making the top 4. Don’t avoid buying young prospects for the sake of having players that have spent a couple more years doing better than average in a top 5 league. Arsenal need to remain intelligent with their money and recruitment.
Arsenal don’t buy stars, we make them!