I’m with Goon. Omari Hutchinson left us to go to Chelsea. He’s enjoying life at Ipswich at age 20. And Chelsea were a midtable club this season - the type of context where Saka, Martinelli, Nelson, Nketiah, ESR, Willock, etc., were able to build up minutes under Emery and Arteta.

For a club near the top, I think it’s less easy to make space for a 16 or 17 year old. When you’re chasing perfection, you consistently need Saka or Rice level performances to get your 90.

Think about everybody’s favorite Arsenal team - The Invincibles. Nobody under 22 had more than 700 minutes. Reyes played half a season. But otherwise we had Clichy, Hoyte, Bentley - all really hot prospects doing nothing. Same the year before

    If you don't mind a counterpoint, I would disagree here. There are ways to show people that they are valued without necessarily having to measure that by total minutes played. As Burnwinter says, it's about the attitude we show towards youngsters coming through the ranks - maybe that's by playing the last 15 minutes of games that we have closed out (like the string of 5s and 6s we hit in the early part of 2024) or the dead CL rubbers or initial rounds of cup games, etc. Maybe it's as simple as training regularly with the first team or making their family feel at home with the club and so on. I don't claim to know exactly what hits the spot, but there has to be some effort to show these kids that there is a path to the first team. Even if we don't think most kids will amount to much, it's worth making the effort to keep at least some of them around, who will eventually be monetizable assets. There may be the odd player or two who has the confidence to say they will make it regardless of whoever is in their path, but the vast majority need some nurturing.

      goon

      I'm a simple soul. If a footballer leaves Arsenal having turned down a normal deal, I assume he's doing it for career advantage: money, playing opportunities or coaching and development.

      His coach is Jack Wilshere and he's tearing it up in the U18 Premier League so I doubt being used in his preferred position, or looked after in that regard is bothering him.

      Bayern may have offered Obi-Martin something good. Today (12 June) he passes the 16 year, 6 month age threshold to sign a professional contract in the Bundesliga. The minimum is 17 in England I think.

      Beyond that, a list of role models of which 4 out of 5 names have been frozen out of the first XI is no selling point. Our squad is stacked and Obi-Martin plays competitive football with 30-odd youngsters, one (1) of whom made one (1) senior appearance last season.

      I would guess at zero (0) chance of Obi-Martin playing a senior match next season so we've got nothing on Bayern or Chelsea there.

      Claudius For a club near the top, I think it’s less easy to make space for a 16 or 17 year old.

      This is very true. That's why when three boys travel to a CL dead rubber it might not hurt to give them a story about how great it felt running out to take back to the U18 dressing room.

          Bernard Woolley you absolutely have a point and it's right. But this guy we are talking about is someone just turned 16 lol. If he leaves it's not our fault

            Coombs These kids are 16 and tangled in complex ways with their parents, agents, hormones etc. But my guess is everyone's looking at the difference between £10m and £100m in income in a decade long professional career.

              goon And if game time is your concern at 16, that argument definitely goes out the window when you go and join a club like Chelsea or Bayern.

              I find this to be the most concerning part of it. If these guys were doing a Charlie Patino or Balogun and going to play first team football I'd get it, that makes perfect sense. I don't know what's going or why we are losing young players more often but like I said above I find the trend worrying.

                  Qwiss

                  As one of these youth team twitter accounts pointed out recently, It’s a growing trend at every club. These kids are getting more and more hype at younger ages. I actually don’t rate what I’ve seen from Obi Martin at all personally but social media is talking about him as if he’s the next Pele… the guy who doesn’t even play for our U21s yet.

                  It’s big business too. Dortmind and Bayern have already done really well from the likes of Sancho and Musiala. They’ll happy offer them relatively big wages in the hopes of being able to cash in.

                      goon It’s big business too. Dortmind and Bayern have already done really well from the likes of Sancho and Musiala. They’ll happy offer them relatively big wages in the hopes of being able to cash in.

                      If it doesn't work out they also know they'll be sell them back to an English club for good money as they'll probably still count as a homegrown player.

                      Seeing Bellingham and Sancho do well out there probably made a big difference as well. A lot of young English players will see their pathway for them. They get plenty of minutes which they won't here and eventually get bigger moves.

                        goon I actually don’t rate what I’ve seen from Obi Martin at all personally but social media is talking about him as if he’s the next Pele… the guy who doesn’t even play for our U21s yet.

                        I think its going both ways right now. He's getting hyped for his goals and people are reflexively saying "oh its only cos he's big" etc but he's 16. No one really knows whether he can bring it through or not.

                        It’s big business too. Dortmind and Bayern have already done really well from the likes of Sancho and Musiala. They’ll happy offer them relatively big wages in the hopes of being able to cash in.

                        Is it a UK employment law thats causing this or an FA rule? If its the latter it needs to be changed quickly.

                            Qwiss Is it a UK employment law thats causing this or an FA rule? If its the latter it needs to be changed quickly.

                            Yes

                              If we get £20m for Reiss it would be very good business.

                              Me either but hands should be bitten if we are offered anything like that.

                              4 days later



                              Another bites the dust. Remember people raving about him in the youth thread. More and more youth players just think they have no path to the first team.

                              Good luck all the best to him

                                Clrnc More and more youth players just think they have no path to the first team.

                                That isn't even remotely what's happening here.

                                • Tam likes this.

                                  Let’s see jow all these youth players pan out. The last youth player we missed out on was Gnabry. Everybody else has gone on to be decent or forgettable.

                                  They're moving for money. They aren't good enough to play for Arsenal (they could be one day, but aren't now), and we either can't (due to age) or won't pay them a ludicrous wage just to keep them hanging around Colney. It's the right move on Arsenal's part, and might even be the right move for the player in the long run, but it has nothing to do with having a path to the first team. It's a financial decision.

                                  If they had Saka or Martinelli levels of talent, they'd make a path to the first team themselves. It's not Arteta's job to baby them.