It's no secret that youth is at the heart of everything Arsenal are doing right now. Mikel Arteta has built his side around emerging talents like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe and the Gunners have fielded each of the 20 youngest starting lineups in the Premier League this season.
But is this just a flash in the pan brought on by a golden generation, or a sign of things to come? Behind the scenes there is a team working hard to ensure it's the latter.
Back in 2020 academy director Per Mertesacker and technical director Edu took the decision to rip up the existing scouting structures and implement something completely new. Head of youth scouting Steve Morrow - who brought Serge Gnabry, Emi Martinez and Eddie Nketiah to name but a few to North London - was dismissed, along with other scouts including David Lee (under-16s and seniors), Kevin Beddell (16s-23s), Dan Rice (12s-16s) and Joe Sutton (9s-12s).
