Arsenal: Arsene Wenger provides one last parting gift

Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal after 22 years at the helm at the end of the season. But he had one last parting gift to give against Manchester United at the weekend: Youth.

Throughout Arsene Wenger’s 22-year reign at Arsenal football club, there has always been one mantra, one M.O., one key element of his managerial and footballing philosophies that remain true and significant to this day: The acquisition, development, and starring of youth.

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It started with the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Nicolas Anelka, among others. While some were not unknown 18-year-olds when they were signed, the principal was the same: Buy them young(ish); buy them cheaper than an established player at the same position; grow and develop them at the club.

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The same philosophy has been preserved for over two decades. The likes of Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, and more recently, Hector Bellerin, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, are all testament to the youth priorities with which this club has been run. It is fitting, then, that Wenger, as his parting gift to the Gunners, chooses to leave behind one of the most talented classes of young players in his whole tenure.

We got to see a few of them on Sunday, in an eventual 2-1 loss to Manchester United. Konstantinos Mavropanos made his debut at centre-half alongside another relative youngster in Calum Chambers. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was named man of the match by Sky Sports for his performance at the heart of the midfield. Reiss Nelson, at just 18, made his second league start for the club, this time on the left flank where he faced off against Premier League veteran Antonio Valencia.

And there are others. Eddie Nketiah has shown glimpses of his goalscoring ability, and has been entrusted with a place on the bench in recent weeks. Joe Willock has made a Premier League start in midfield, while the likes of Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Gedion Zelalem will be hoping to get their careers back on track after suffering injury-stricken campaigns.

Even the likes of Bellerin, Rob Holding, Chambers, and Alex Iwobi are not exactly elder-statesmen. They have simply been around the team a lot longer. But that does not mean that they don’t have time to further their progression. They do.

This raft of young prospects is what, I believe, should have a large shaping on who Arsenal decide will replace Wenger. As Ivan Gazidis has hinted at in the past, it is important that the club is able to bring in a manager who has a track-record of coaching up young players and giving them a chance to flourish in the first team.

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It is these players that will shape the future of this team. Wenger has always been obsessed with leaving the club in a position in which it can flourish once he departs. With these players, he has. Now Arsenal just need the right man to take the players, and subsequently the club, forward.