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Earlier this month, 16-year-old Yousouffa Moukoko became the youngest scorer in Bundesliga history with his goal in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 loss to Union Berlin.
The forward’s development is testament to a disciplined youth promotion policy that has seen Erling Haaland, Christian Pulisic, Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele and Gio Reyna, among many others, triumph at the Westfalenstadion.
Perhaps the most successful story of all is that of Jadon Sancho. The 20-year-old moved to Germany in 2017 after failing to break through at Manchester City and is now one of the best talents in world football.
Summing up the club’s ideology, legendary Borussia Dortmund midfielder Lars Ricken, who is now the club’s head of youth, described it as “a clear and obvious strategy not to buy superstars, but to create them.”
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These words may well ring a bell for some Arsenal fans. They are reminiscent of a now infamous Arsene Wenger quote from almost 15 years ago.
When asked what the Gunners’ transfer plans would be in the summer of 2007, the Frenchman simply replied “we don’t sign superstars, we do.”
It was an attitude that would define Arsenal’s approach to squad-building for the next five years as teams including Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere constantly challenged for Premier League titles. and they clashed. face to face with the famous Barcelona team of Pep Guardiola of the time.
However, as the financial burden of a relocation to Emirates Stadium began to diminish, the Gunners began bringing in more established stars to the detriment of their young talents. Serge Gnabry, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Donyell Malen, Ismael Bennacer and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were among the many gifted prodigies who slipped through Arsenal’s fingers before succeeding elsewhere.
(Image: Christian Kaspar-Bartke / Getty Images)
At times this season it has seemed like the glory days of mid-Wenger youth promotion are back in North London.
Youngsters like Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe, Folarin Balogun, Joe Willock, Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah are among the names who have made their mark in the Europa League this season.
However, when it comes to the bigger games, Mikel Arteta has tended to stick with the more experienced members of his squad. Willian, David Luiz, Granit Xhaka and Alex Lacazette have seemed inescapable at times despite consistently subpar exhibits.
This is where Arsenal is very different from Borussia Dortmund.
Germans are not afraid to add seasoned faces to their squad when they see fit. The recent acquisitions of Emre Can and Mats Hummels are proof of this. But when these top-level professionals arrive at the Westfalenstadion, they do so knowing that a younger player will have their starting place if performance levels start to drop.
Proof of this is the promotion of Jadon Sancho to the first team.
When the winger came in the summer of 2017, Andre Schurrle was the established right winger, having won the World Cup just three years earlier and claimed a Premier League winner’s medal with Chelsea. But as the German’s form faltered, scoring just three goals and six assists in 26 appearances that campaign, Sancho made his way into the first team.
Early next season, Schurrle was bombed on loan to Fulham and Dortmund put their faith in Sancho, who was just 18 at the time, to become a regular starter on their team.
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In the time that has elapsed since the England international has established himself as one of the best players in world football, with 90 goals in 117 games. Meanwhile, his childhood friend, Reiss Nelson, is struggling to become part of Mikel Arteta’s roster right now.
Against Chelsea, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli showed that they are ready to be trusted on the biggest stage.
Promoting youth is a policy that has helped keep Borussia Dortmund one of the best teams in Europe in recent years. As Arsenal seek to regain that level, it would be prudent to adopt the same strategy.
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