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Football London
Football London
Sport
Aaron Catterson-Reid

Cesc Fabregas names his favourite four Arsenal players ahead of the north London derby

Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas has heaped praise on four members of Mikel Arteta's squad.

The Gunners are currently gunning for a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League, and a win against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur tonight in a hugely anticipated north London derby would secure a top-four finish for Arteta and Co. The Spanish coach has relied on several youngsters this season, with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe netting 21 Premier League goals between them - a hugely impressive statistic considering they are 20 and 21-years-old respectively.

Now, Fabregas has heaped praise on the Hale End academy graduates, as well as Brazilian starlet Gabriel Martinelli and Norway captain Martin Odegaard - both of whom have also enjoyed productive campaigns for the north London outfit.

Read more: Tottenham send Arsenal thinly-veiled Twitter dig ahead of north London derby

Speaking to LondonWorld, the former Barcelona playmaker said: "There are three or four [players] that I really like. I sometimes feel like I'm watching myself when I first started out.

"You have the likes of Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard, Smith Rowe… it's great to see.

"Even [Eddie] Nketiah recently who has been scoring goals. Their recent performances will give them confidence."

The Monaco midfielder then added: "Every young player needs some time to adapt to the real highest level of football, and Arsenal are giving opportunities to them. This will give a lot of value to the squad, not only economically but also football-wise.

"Hopefully, in a few years, we can see the results of it."

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