Arsenal’s academy have managed to produce some stellar Premier League talent over the years. Players such as Jack Wilshere, Ashley Cole and even Harry Kane all spent time within the academy.
Granted, Kane only spent a year or so in the youth ranks but he still started off his footballing career with the Gunners.
Each of those mentioned went on to have impressive Premier League careers, with Cole arguably the “best left-back” that England has produced – according to pundit Darren Bent.
In recent times, Ethan Nwaneri has been branded as Arsenal’s ‘next big thing.’ The midfielder is just 16 years old and has already made his top-flight debut for Mikel Arteta’s side.
By making his Premier League bow, he became the youngest player in history to make his debut at the age of just 15 years and 181 days.
Although the club still have an array of talent within their ranks, they have lost many-a-good prospect that they have lived to regret.
Another one of these talents which could end up making the north London club wish they hadn’t got rid of is that of Omari Hutchinson.
Omari Hutchinson’s season in numbers so far
After leaving on a free transfer from Arsenal in 2022 to join their rivals, Chelsea, Hutchinson has spent the 2023/24 season with Championship side, Ipswich.
Prior to his move, there were suggestions of Hutchinson having a “Saka flair” in the way in which he played, according to football.london’s Tom Canton, as a left-footed talent operating off the right.
The youngster – who at one stage was described as ‘more exciting than Bukayo Saka was in the under-23s at Arsenal’ by FourFourTwo – has been a stalwart within Kieran McKenna’s team and has played a pivotal role in getting the squad into the play-off spots.
Speaking about his involvement with Ipswich this season, the attacker said the following: “I’ve been working really hard, and it’s all paying off now. I’m really buzzing with the goals and helping the team,” he said.
“This is my first season in men’s football. Without the coaching staff and my team-mates helping me, I probably wouldn’t be doing as well as I am now. I’m very harsh on myself, I let stuff get to me and that’s what I’m trying to work on as well, the mental side of things.”
He then spoke about where he sees the rest of his season heading and claimed he wants to end the season with double digits for goals to his name.
“Kieffer [Moore] tells me when the ball is in the air to try and get on the second ball, because he’s going to win it. That’s what I did and it paid off, and I was through on goal,” he continued.
“I’ve been working on staying calm in front of goal and I went towards the keeper and slotted it.”
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The 20-year-old has played a total of 39 games for the second-tier side and has managed to contribute to a total of 11 goals and assists.
More often than not, he has been deployed on the right wing throughout the season. He has played there 19 times in order to fit into his manager’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation. However, he has been afforded the opportunity to play centrally on ten occasions.
Although Hutchinson is yet to make himself a regular within Chelsea’s first-team squad, his performances this season will no doubt get him on the radar of Mauricio Pochettino for the 2024/25 campaign.
If the attacker does manage to find his way into the Blues’ first team, Arteta will surely rue allowing the youngster to leave in general, never mind allowing him to leave on the cheap.
Despite being sent to Ipswich in the summer, during the season prior, Hutchinson managed to appear twice under Graham Potter in both of England’s domestic competitions.
The “dazzling” gem – as described by Statman Dave – failed to score or assist his teammates during the 49 minutes he spent playing, however, it showed that he possessed some real talent to have even been given the nod in the first place.
As aforementioned, Hutchinson isn’t one of the only academy graduates whom Arsenal have let go from their ranks.
Another which springs to mind is that of Folarin Balogun. The USA international left the Gunners in a £34.3m deal last summer which found him ending up at AS Monaco.
How Balogun has performed since moving to Monaco
Balogun was sold after the attacker had the most prolific campaign of his career the season prior. The 22-year-old plied his trade for Stade Reims and played a total of 39 times for the club.
During this time, he managed to bag a total of 22 goals and even managed to help his team out with three assists – this form placed the youngster in the top five goalscorers in Ligue 1.
This was no doubt thanks to the management of his coach, Will Still, who managed to take the club on a 19-game unbeaten streak despite it only being his first managerial role.
However, despite his returns the season prior, things haven’t gone as swimmingly as the striker would’ve likely hoped they would.
Since arriving in Monaco, Balogun has played a total of 22 games and has only managed to score five goals, a tally which he met in just seven games for Stade Reims.
At least, on Arsenal’s behalf, they managed to get a fee for the striker. Whereas, in the case of Hutchinson, they allowed him to leave for free and will see no future returns for developing his talent.
Hence, why, Arteta will more than likely rue allowing the 20-year-old to leave despite the potential he clearly showed.
