Arsenal are a club with a proud history of developing and promoting their own youth talent.
Just last season, the Hale End duo of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly burst into the first team and played far more of a role than anyone was expecting.
Likewise, while he’s now injured, Max Dowman made his senior debut earlier this season and looked every bit the superstar in the making that those in the know have described him as.
However, when it comes to the Gunners’ best young talent of the last decade, it’s impossible to ignore Bukayo Saka, who, early on in Mikel Arteta’s reign, played a vital role in keeping the Spaniard in the job, alongside fellow academy star Emile Smith Rowe.
So, fans should be seriously excited about Arsenal signing two incredible prospects who could become Arteta’s new Saka and Smith Rowe.
Saka & Smith Rowe’s youth records
Saka joined Arsenal at just seven years old, and while he wasn’t necessarily the most talked-about prospect, his talent was evident.
The future star made his debut for the under-18s against Fulham in the 17/18 season, a campaign in which he made 22 appearances, scoring eight goals and providing four assists.
The following season would see him spend far more time with the under-23s, where he made 24 appearances compared to just six for the under-18s.
The Ealing-born gem would end up scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists across the two teams, but more crucially, he also made four appearances for the first team, one of which was a start.
The 19/20 season would see the 24-year-old make his final youth-team appearance, after which he was unquestionably part of the senior side.
Smith Rowe’s journey was a little different to his former teammates, as he made his debut for the under-18s and under-23s in the 16/17 season, ending the year with six goals and one assist in 16 games.
It was more of the same the following season, with him racking up a haul of 15 goal involvements in 27 games, which was for him to make his first team debut the following season and then be sent on loan to RB Leipzig in January.
19/20 was an odd year for the Croydon-born star, as he made more appearances for the first team and youth sides before being sent out on loan to Huddersfield Town in the Championship, where he scored two goals and provided three assists in 19 appearances.
Finally, the 20/21 season saw the midfielder make his last appearances for the junior sides before becoming a first-team regular, and by the end of his academy journey, the 25-year-old had scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in 60 games.
With all that said, it was always clear that Saka and Smith Rowe were incredibly talented as youngsters, and it now looks like Arsenal have signed two more prospects who could be the new versions of them.
Arsenal’s new Saka & Smith Rowe
Arsenal have an array of exciting young talents already coming through Hale End, but they decided to go out and get two more in Edwin and Holger Quintero.
The Ecuadorian twins agreed to join the Gunners earlier this month, and while the fans will have to wait until they’re 18 before they can see them in action, it looks like they could be superstars in the making, the new version of Saka and Smith Rowe.
Starting with the former, then, and it’s Edwin who could end up being a new version of the Gunners’ mercurial number seven, in part because his natural position is off the right.
Moreover, and in the words of respected analyst-turned-Como scout Ben Mattinson, the teenager is someone with “the ability to run games and create something out of nothing,” which is what we saw from the Hale Ender on Saturday night.
On top of that, under-23 scout Antonio Mango has described the dynamic winger as an attacker who “likes to play with short pass-and-move principles” but can still be incredibly “dangerous from distance. “
Again, that sounds a lot like the 24-year-old when you consider his often lethal curling efforts from outside the penalty area.
Okay then, what about Edwin’s brother Holger? What about him suggests he could be a Smith-Rowe-esque player for Arteta?
Well, firstly, his primary position is in the attacking midfield, and while he is not afraid of taking shots himself, he is more of a creator than his brother.
For example, Mango has described him as a player blessed with “high technical & intellect qualities” and as someone who is “effective in all thirds of the pitch.”
Furthermore, Mattinson has highlighted his “excellent weight of pass” and the fact that he’s a “decisive creator with a killer final ball” while also being someone with “with 1v1 prowess.”
Ultimately, there is a long way to go for the twins, but as things stand, it looks like Arsenal have got their hands on two of the most exciting youngsters in world football, youngsters who could become the club’s new Saka and Smith-Rowe.
Arsenal flop is fast becoming their worst signing since Mustafi
Things are not looking great for the Arsenal star this season.
