Ranking the 5 greatest Arsenal academy graduates of the last decade (2011-21)

Bellerin and Smith Rowe are definitely in, but who tops the list?
Bellerin and Smith Rowe are definitely in, but who tops the list?

#3 Emiliano Martinez

Arsenal FC v Leicester City - Premier League
Arsenal FC v Leicester City - Premier League

Arsenal fans remain bitter-sweet about this one. In professional football, you’ll almost never see an individual wish for an injury to another player, even his worst enemies. But injuries are part and parcel of the game at an elite level and they have to be negotiated with.

Practically, if it weren’t for an injury, and a bad one at that to Arsenal’s number one Bernd Leno, Martinez would have to sit out on this list. Interestingly, it was history repeating itself once again. The Argentina international made his Premier League debut under somewhat similar circumstances.

Back in 2014, Martinez replaced Arsenal's first choice Wojciech Szczęsny who suffered an injury in the second half against Manchester United. The Arsenal academy graduate's decade-long stay in north London consisted of six loan spells.

Finally, with the injury mentioned earlier to Leno, Martinez became a regular starter for Arsenal in the Premier League and the FA Cup starting June 2020. It didn’t take long for fear to turn into hope and optimism. Martinez put in a string of composed and effective performances which sparked debate about whether he deserved to be the number one keeper at Arsenal.

Emotions got the better of the Argentine when Arsenal beat Chelsea to lift the 2020 FA Cup. He realized that his potential and talent had been on display and that another Premier League club would avail his services. Martinez wished to be Arsenal’s number one keeper choice and when denied, decided to part ways with the Gunners.

Ever since leaving for Aston Villa in 2020, he’s been pretty vocal about how his relationship with Arsenal turned into a toxic one. At Villa, Martinez started all 38 games in the Premier League and kept 15 clean sheets. A figure that was only bettered by Ederson of Manchester City and Edouard Mendy of Chelsea.

The Gunners' fan base stands divided on whether the decision to sell him was rational or not. But with everything said and done, Martinez made a massive contribution when he was called upon and only earned praise and admiration for his final few performances at Arsenal.


#2 Bukayo Saka

Saka celebrates after scoring against Sheffield Utd
Saka celebrates after scoring against Sheffield Utd

Another bright young lad straight from that mill in Arsenal’s Hale End Academy. Bukayo Saka became a fan favorite at Arsenal within a span of a year since his debut in 2018. His debut came a month after Emile Smith Rowe played against the same opposition Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League.

Arsenal’s youth system is usually methodical in the sense that most academy products go out on loan before making a big breakthrough. However, Saka was special. Even though just 17 at the time of his debut, he was closely involved with the senior squad since then.

In 2019, Saka produced a performance that made everyone stand up and take notice. With two assists and a stunner of a goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, Saka announced he was here to make it big.

Yet again it was the case of another Arsenal youngster making the most of injuries to first-team starters. Saka’s versatility allowed him to fill the spots left by injured Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac at left-back. The 2020-21 season saw Saka feature in 32 games in the Premier League. He scored on five occasions and assisted another four goals.

But stats wouldn’t do enough justice to what the young lad would bring on the field. Saka has the ability to take on defenders one on one, he’s great with linking up with strikers and can come deep to take the ball forward.

Gareth Southgate was impressed by the young Arsenal prospect's skill-set and decided to include him in the 26-man squad for Euro 2020. Southgate’s trust in Saka was second to none and the England manager entrusted him with a massively important final penalty in the Euros final against Italy. Although he failed to convert it, Saka has received overwhelming support since then and has become a youth icon across England.


#1 Serge Gnabry

Gnabry has endured an unbelievable turnaround in fortunes
Gnabry has endured an unbelievable turnaround in fortunes

At the summit of this list is a player who has seen rock bottom very early in his playing career. From being deemed “not good enough” to play for West Bromwich Albion to becoming a force to reckon with at Bayern Munich, Gnabry has made it big and how.

These are difficult times at Arsenal. They are struggling to retain their top four status in the Premier League and are devoid of European Football for the first time in 26 years. However, these are very exciting times for German international Gnabry, who is regularly contesting with Europe’s elite in the Champions League and is also a proud winner.

The change of fortune took a serious test of his resilience and patience. He joined Arsenal a decade ago in 2011 from German club Stuttgart’s academy. After two years in Arsenal’s youth setup, Gnabry made his first appearance for the senior squad in 2013. However, then manager Arsene Wenger believed that Gnabry needs more time. He was sent back to the reserves.

In 2015 when Gnabry was loaned to West Bromwich Albion, the Arsenal faithful were hopeful that the move would help the player come of age. West Brom manager Tony Pulis’ brutal verdict on Gnabry meant time was running out for him to save his Arsenal career.

The north London side decided to let go of Gnabry for a mere €5 million. He found his lost spark at Werder Bremen. It was then that Bayern Munich came calling and, in what turned out to be some clever business, bought him for €8 million.

Bayern were aware that with Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller around, there was little hope for Gnabry to become a regular. That’s when a loan move to Hoffenheim did a world of good.

His 17 goal involvements showcased that the ceiling was higher than everyone presumed. Gnabry returned to the Bavarians in 2018 where Niko Kovac’s system and an injury to Arjen Robben allowed him to find his feet and settle in the squad. The next time Gnabry visited north London to face Arsenal's fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, he netted four goals in a 7-2 win for Bayern.

Clearly, the Arsenal academy graduate has enjoyed an unbelievable turnaround in fortunes.

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Edited by Nived Zenith