The Future of English Football is Blossoming in North London

As an American, I won't pretend to provide context to the history of the Three Lions' player development and success. What I can do however as an Arsenal fan, is write a reminder of the major contributions being made by my club's young English core making up the spine of its team. While Arsenal has had a few down seasons as of late, its promising home-grown talent is surely a bright spot to be proud of.

Most teams in the English Premier league are anchored by veteran players at each position group to provide reliability and wisdom to impart on younger squad members. Arsenal has taken a different approach (whether by choice or necessity) since the departure of Arsene Wenger triggered a bit of an identity crisis at the club. Big name players like Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have left the club, largely for either financial or chemistry reasons, leaving a wide gap where a team would typically plug a veteran player in its place.

This is not what Arsenal has done. Instead, what they did was turn to their youth academy and test their own product as well as affordable and overlooked domestic players since they were not given the war chest other big teams like Manchester City or Chelsea have to operate with. The results were not immediate, but thanks to the leadership of former club captain Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's young core of footballers are pushing Arsenal back into the spotlight and possibly another prolonged run of European football.

The players I'm referring to are Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, Central Defender Ben White, and Midfielders Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka. The latter two players coming from Arsenal's academy (and with Bukayo Saka already earning international appearances in the past Euro Tournament) have been central figures in the Gunner's attack this season, having a combined 18 goals and counting thus far.

On the back end, Aaron Ramsdale has stepped up to become a top tier premier league goalkeeper and is to thank for the third best clean sheet tally in the league. Ben White has proven to be worth every pound spent on him by coming in as a composed and controlling defender and at only 24 years old, his best football is still ahead of him. What was recent manned by Chelsea hand-me-downs and Wenger side projects, Arsenal's defense is once again a controlling force many teams are unable to break down.

On top of its English stars, Arsenal have other young players working in their favor. Players like Keiran Tierney, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Odegaard are doing their share of the heavy lifting in place of proven star power that other clubs tend to recruit. This young core currently has Arsenal sitting in position to earn themselves European football next season, and its young English stars should also be earning the attention of Gareth Southgate who will have to make squad decisions for the upcoming world cup. While this particular London club is not currently graced by big names or flashy signings like its surrounding neighbors, it is being driven by a cast of young promising footballers that have the chance to usher in another golden era of football at Arsenal FC.