With multiple players set to leave Arsenal this summer, do the Gunners face losing their home-grown identity?

  • Premier League teams must have no more than 17 non home-grown players
  • Arsenal submitted nine home-grown players last season
  • Wilshere, Szczesny, and Ox all linked with moves away from Arsenal

With several of Arsenal’s home-grown players set to be heading for the exit this summer, what will the Gunners do when it comes to their home-grown identity?

A home-grown player is someone who has been registered with an English club for three or more seasons before the age of 21.

Premier League rules state that clubs must submit no more than 17 players who aren’t home-grown, and a squad can have no more than 25 players.

Last season, Arsenal submitted nine home-grown players (16 not) with their Premier League squad compared to Chelsea’s six (16 not).

  • Francis Coquelin
  • Emi Martinez
  • Carl Jenkinson
  • Theo Walcott
  • Danny Welbeck
  • Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
  • Aaron Ramsey
  • Matt Macey
  • Kieran Gibbs

This summer, it’s looking as if Arsenal could be set to get rid of Gibbs, Jenks, Martinez, Coquelin and Walcott. Plus, Wojciech Szczesny, and Jack Wilshere, who were both out loan at Roma and Bournemouth respectively so weren’t counted in last season’s home-grown tally, and even Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

While it’s unlikely that Arsenal will sell every single one of the players linked with a move, it’d be surprising if at least a few didn’t go, which would leave Arsene Wenger with only a small handful of home-grown players.

It’s doubtful that Arsenal haven’t prepared for this eventuality and it’s also unlikely that they’ll struggle to meet the requirements.

If they have less home-grown players, they simply pull a Chelsea and reduce the squad size overall. It doesn’t have to be 25-men deep, as long as there are no more than 17 non home-grown players.

However, the issue is, Arsenal are known for producing talent and bringing young, home-grown players through the ranks, especially when compared to the other big teams.

This isn’t an issue of breaking the rules, it’s an issue of values and running abandoning tradition. For better or worse.