Micah Richards praises Mikel Arteta for his ‘bravery’ to rely on young stars as the Spaniard looks to see Arsenal qualify for the Champions League this term, via his Daily Mail column.
The Gunners have the youngest average age of any Premier League club this season at just 24.2-years. North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have the next-youngest among those fighting for a top-four finish at 25.9. But Spurs still only rank eighth across the full division.
Relegation-threatened Brentford have the second-youngest average age across the league at 25. While the four players Arteta has relied on the most at Arsenal in Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka are under 24, ahead of Thomas Partey, 28.
You have to go down to 30-year-old Alexandre Lacazette in 10th-place for the next Arsenal player aged over 24. Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe have featured more. Odegaard, Tomiyasu, Ramsdale and White also joined last year.
Richards hopes Arsenal reward ‘brave’ Arteta by qualifying for Champions League
Richards believe Arsenal now sitting in the box seat for Champions League qualification is a testament to Arteta. The Gunners enter the weekend fourth in the Premier League table with a one-point lead over Manchester United. But they have also played three fewer games.
The outlook at the Emirates Stadium was far bleaker at the end of last August after a torrid start. Arsenal saw in the season with three defeats and failed to score, to sit bottom of the table. The Telegraph even reported the Spaniard had to the October break to save his job.
Richards reflects on how some questioned Arteta’s future as Arsenal’s manager following their tough beginning to the season. But the Gunners’ young stars have repaid his faith in the race for a UEFA berth. And Richards hopes the north London outfit can see it through.
“The race for fourth-place is now firmly in Arsenal’s control, and it is a testament to the excellent work Mikel Arteta has done that they look odds-on to qualify for the Champions League,” Richards wrote.
“It would be one of the stories of the season if they deliver – a massive achievement.
“People questioned Arteta at the beginning of the season after they lost their opening games. But he put his faith in young players such as Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White.
“It was a brave thing to do and I hope that bravery is rewarded.”
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