Arsenal youngsters must wait two and a half years to play

Most clubs sign players for the here and now. When you read of a team’s summer signings, you expect a good number of them to be turning out come the first match in August.

Not Arsenal. Patience is the key for any young Arsenal signing, as this report shows. We’ll have a look at each of the current first XI in turn, to see just how long they’ve had to wait.

For all these players, they are counted as regular first teamers once they are undoubtedly first choice, i.e. if all players were fit they would not be dropped.

Manuel Almunia, 30

Joined: July 2004

First teamer since: August 2007, aged 30

Waited: 3.1 years

Almunia was signed three summers ago now, and since he arrived he has been thought of as nothing more than a backup. Some early mistakes only compounded that feeling, but he has improved immeasurably in the last 18 months, with some excellent cup performances last season helping him stake his claim for Lehmann’s spot. With the German making two high profile mistakes, Almunia got his chance and hasn’t looked back. He had reached 30 before earning his spot.

Bacary Sagna, 24

Joined: July 2007

First teamer since: July 2007, aged 24

Waited: 0 years

Sagna is an exception to the rule that Arsenal players often have to spend some time in England before becoming regulars in the first team. A surprising signing, he has displaced both Eboue and Hoyte immediately and effectively.

Gael Clichy, 22

Joined: August 2003

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 21

Waited: 3 years

Clichy struggled in his early years at Arsenal for two reasons. Firstly, he suffered a series of long term injuries that threatened his long term development, not to mention his lightning speed, and secondly, a certain Ashley Cole was in his way. No disrespect to Clichy, but if Cole was still at Arsenal, he would probably still be the first choice, and perhaps established as the best left back in the world. But greed and arrogance took him to Chelsea, where he has never appeared the same player, a hubris his career will be remembered for over his ability. His chance thrown away was an opportunity to Clichy, who has grasped it with both hands after patiently waiting his turn. It is incredible to think he is still only 22.

William Gallas, 30

Joined: August 2006

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 29

Waited: 0 years

A rare signing under Wenger, in that Gallas had just turned 29 when he arrived as part of the Ashley Cole deal last summer, he was thrust straight into the first team, an unsurprising decision given his experience, but struggled with injury in his first season. Nevertheless, he was first choice when fit, but it is only recently, after over a year at the club, that the real Gallas is shining through.

Kolo Toure, 26

Joined: February 2002

First teamer since: August 2003, aged 22

Waited: 1.5 years

Toure arrived as a utility player, making his early appearances as a manic midfielder, who chased and harried everyone in sight. It took him precisely one appearance against Chelsea to become a crowd favourite, helping Arsenal come from a man and a goal down to earn a draw with an energy filled display. He played a decent number of games in 2002-03, but it wasn’t until the unbeaten season that he became a regular at centre back, having filled in across the back and in midfield. Now, it is almost impossible to imagine him anywhere else.

Cesc Fabregas, 20

Joined: September 2003

First teamer since: August 2005, aged 18

Waited: 2 years

What is there to be said about Cesc that hasn’t already been said a million times? Youngest player, youngest scorer, etc, he stepped into the massive void left behind by Patrick Vieira in the summer of 2005, aged only 18. The media instantly wrote the team off, so Cesc went and became arguably the best young midfielder in the world. Now, you can take the word ‘young’ out of that sentence and it still rings true. Undoubtedly, having joined the club at 16, Fabregas would’ve expected to wait longer than two years to become a regular, but his talent and application saw to that.

Mathieu Flamini, 23

Joined: July 2004

First teamer since: August 2007, aged 23

Waited: 3.1 years

Still only 23, Flamini was on the brink of leaving Arsenal this summer, due to a lack of regular first team football. His most extended run came two seasons ago, but it was at left back with Cole and Clichy regularly unavailable. Wenger convinced him to stay, and he is proof that patience can pay off, because his early season form has seen him firmly established in the team for the first time.

Tomas Rosicky, 27

Joined: May 2006

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 25

Waited: 0 years

Signed prior to the World Cup, Rosicky looked like a bargain when he scored two fantastic goals in the early stages in Germany. But his time at Arsenal has been hit by continual niggling injuries, a shame given that when fit for a few games, he looks sharp and dangerous. A rarity in that he went straight into the first team, Rosicky, at 25, was also quite experienced for a Wenger signing.

Alexander Hleb, 26

Joined: June 2005

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 25

Waited: 1.2 years

Hleb played a decent amount in his first season, but Pires, Reyes and Ljungberg restricted his opportunities and he could never be considered a first choice player. But with the departure of Pires in the summer of 2006, Reyes also leaving on loan, Hleb stepped into the breach to become much more of a regular starter. Much of his second season was disappointing, with his clever passes rarely finding their target, although, given that his targets were often Baptista and Aliadiere, that may not have been his fault. This season, he has been a revelation.

Robin Van Persie, 24

Joined: May 2004

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 23

Waited: 1.3 years

Van Persie arrived with a big reputation, and an apparent desire to learn from his countryman Dennis Bergkamp, in his final season. After the Dutch master’s retirement, Van Persie became first choice alongside Thierry Henry, only for his season to be curtailed by injury.

Emmanuel Adebayor, 23

Joined: January 2006

First teamer since: August 2007, aged 23

Waited: 1.6 years

Adebayor is now a first team player for the first time, because although he played much of last season, Henry and Van Persie were always the premier pairing when fit.

Average age to become a first teamer: 23.9

Average waiting time to become a first teamer: 1.5 years

Average waiting time to become a first teamer, of those not signed to step straight in: 2.4 years

So there you have it. If a young player is signed by Arsenal, aged anywhere from their teens to about 22, they should not expect to be automatic first choice for around two and a half years. And that’s only for the best ones – some don’t make the grade at all.

There are those who want instant results, those who write Walcott and Eduardo off after a few months. These figures should be taken into account before doing so – a signing, especially of a young player, is a long term investment. It took Clichy three years to break through, Hleb was poor in his second season but everyone is now glad he’s still around, and as for Flamini? Who would’ve been upset to see him go in the summer? Yet now he is an inspiration in the middle of the park, three years after arriving at the club.

This is a lesson to players such as David Bentley, who could’ve made it at Arsenal, but didn’t have the patience. It takes a certain young maturity to fit into the system, a quality that Wenger also values.

Another surprise is the lack of players Wenger signs with the intention of putting them straight into the first team. Gallas and Rosicky were instant first team players, but both struggled with injury in their first season. In fact, only Sagna, of the current first XI, spent the first three months of his Arsenal career in the team, without a hitch.

That is something to consider when baying for players to join. Wenger rarely makes signings to fill a perceived gap. Sagna was an exception this season – it is unusual for the manager to spend money on a player and place them straight into the side on a regular basis. In other words, he doesn’t satisfy the instant gratification crowd that over the past two seasons have claimed he is past his best.

Compare this with Chelsea, who have seven players in their first XI who were there the day they were signed (Cech, Cole, Carvalho, Belletti, Essien, Lampard, Drogba), Man Utd, who have six (Van der Sar, Ferdinand, Vidic, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez), and Liverpool, with at least four (Reina, Hyypia, Riise, Torres).

It is pretty clear from these numbers that the rest of the top four buy players with the express plan of improving their team instantly. Arsenal play the game an entirely different way, signing players so that they make an impact a few years later. In that way, Wenger is always two to three years ahead of us. We see a gap in the team forming, only to realise that he plugged that gap two years ago, and the selected player is now ready to step up. It is this forethought that is now bearing fruit.

I would suggest that Wenger’s plan stretches ahead for the next few years. He probably knows what his squad will look like in three years time, and already knows which positions need reinforcements at that point.

No other manager could have achieved what Wenger has achieved. Be grateful he is manager of our football club.