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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the things he looks for when promoting young players to his first team, telling the club’s website that he has to be convinced that the player has something special if he is to promote him to his first-team squad. While the Frenchman also explained why he gave Cesc Fabregas his debut at just 16-years-old.
The latest promising youngster off of the Wenger production line has been Gedion Zalalem, who became the first player to feature for the club who was not born when Wenger took charge of the Gunners.
“Most of the time he needs an exceptional quality and that you sit there and think, ‘OK, I have to play him,” said Wenger on what prompts him to throw a youngster into first team action.
“You need to be quite brave to put a boy of that age into the team, but you can only be brave if you are convinced that he has something special.
“Of course when you think about 16 or 17-year-olds, usually it’s not a physical advantage they have – most of the time it’s an exceptional talent or technical ability.
“For Cesc Fabregas it was on the vision front, and his capacity to deliver the final ball. That’s why you believe that most of the time it’s an offensive talent that convinces you to pick a young player.
“Defensive talents are not often ready at that age because it demands more experience, more reading of the game and the opponent.
“With attacking play, you focus more on your own game so usually it is exceptional offensive talent that you can give a chance to”
The Arsenal manager then continued by admitting that it is a value of the club to give young players their chance at the top level.
“It’s one of the values of our club. We want to be very successful without neglecting the need to give a chance to people.
“I want it to be part of our tradition and I also want to develop a spirit inside the Club that makes the young players be faithful to this club. They think the Club has given them a chance so they want to give something back as well.
“It has to work in both ways but we want to be the ones who give a chance.”
Nine of the 24 players to have featured for Arsenal in the league this season are aged 23 or under
