It seems a familiar narrative to follow along with the excitement that another crop of young Arsenal players are boasting.
Arsenal fans will be all too aware that placing too much faith in youth can either leave you with underdeveloped talent or those players moving elsewhere.
The likes of Jack Wilshere, Carl Jenkinson and others have made considerable appearances for the club but have they reached the heights once associated with them? Probably not.
As well, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Bennacer prove the latter point - they are now both thriving at the top level for other teams in Europe. Therefore, it not only proves that Arsenal have failed to develop certain players, but they have also made some costly mistakes.
However, the mistakes made over the last decade will be something that Mikel Arteta is keen to finally get right. As a young manager with a modern outlook, it could be said that much importance will be placed on how he shifts the tide of disappointment around promising young talent.
A key reason that we should be excited about the future at the Emirates is due to the talent at Arteta’s disposal. The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and others have demonstrated their capabilities at youth level and elsewhere, but now might be the perfect time for them to start reaching their potential.
The aforementioned trio have been hotly touted by different parties to be future stars for Arsenal but we’ve heard that before, haven’t we?
A main reason why it might finally be different this time is due to the quality already shown by the three players. Saka has been a sensation at left-back and could finally be the full-back Arsenal have been looking for in that regard.
Fellow 18-year-old, Martinelli, has also been in terrific form this season. For a debut season in English football, 14 goal contributions in 26 games is some tally for a player of his age.
Both Martinelli and Saka prove to be two of the youngest players coming through the ranks, but Nelson’s loan spell in the Bundesliga last season proved his quality. Seven goals in the German top-flight earned him a move back to north London and Arteta will be looking to get the best out of him when play resumes.
The most important factor when looking at potential world class players, though, is the way in which they are managed. Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have taken credit for bringing youngsters through but only when the time is right.
In Arteta, the Gunners have a manager that has learned under Guardiola and will be acutely aware of the difficulties in place when it comes to developing players. However, the 38-year-old has already shown ways in which he will develop more organically than his predecessor.
For all of Unai Emery’s faults, the way in which he dealt with the younger parts of the squad was particularly baffling. Continuously placing faith in Joe Willock, for example, proved to be doing more harm than good to his progression which shows how fine the balance is between trusting in youth and using them effectively.
While Arteta’s reign has so far been characterised by disruption, his use of youngsters on a more sensible basis to Emery shows why he may be the manager to get the best out of them.
The 2-0 FA Cup win over Portsmouth showed just how much quality the youngsters have, but it isn’t a case of lumping them all together in the Premier League - doing so will tarnish their reputations sooner than they can develop in the correct manner.
That very fact shows just how well Arteta could go on to develop the likes of Martinelli, Nelson and Saka who will be hoping to fulfill their potential in an Arsenal shirt.
Matteo Guendouzi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Willock, too, will continue to develop over the coming years if Arteta creates the right environment for them.
With youth, it is a case of waiting for when the time is right rather than placing blind faith in them.
Arteta seems to know that more than most.
