Hale End continues to be an invaluable talent factor for Arsenal.
Right now, Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and the returning Eberechi Eze are all key figures in Mikel Arteta’s first team, while Saturday’s trip to Fulham was a reminder of departed Hale End graduates, given that Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe were in action for the hosts at Craven Cottage.
Given the sheer volume of academy graduates now plying their trade far and wide, there will be one or two Arsenal may regret allowing to leave, one in particular is starting to showcase his talent this season, having once been compared to the Hale End poster boy, Saka.
Bukayo Saka's performance in numbers vs Fulham
As Arsenal beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, Saka was, yet again, named Premier League man of the match.
It was his corner, flicked on by Gabriel and turned home by Leandro Trossard, that proved to be the difference, pinching all three points on the banks of the River Thames.
Overall though, Saka was the Gunners’ most dangerous player throughout the evening.
He was in staggering form, completing seven key passes, six dribbles and being fouled five times. In fact, despite missing three matches due to injury, Saka remains the Gunners’ main man in attack.
Minutes
516
10th
Goals
3
1st
Shots
12
5th
Goals – xG
+1.4
2nd
Key passes
14
2nd
Big chances created
3
1st
Shot-creating actions
27
2nd
Attempted take-ons
29
1st
Progressive carries
26
1st
Average rating
7.43
1st
As the table outlines, despite limited minutes, Saka continues to be central to Arsenal as an attacking force, ranked first for a whole host of metrics, including goals, big chances created and dribbles.
Appearing for Thomas Tuchel for only the second time, the 24-year-old certainly showcased his talent at Wembley during the international break, scoring that sublime strike as England steamrollered Wales.
Saka joined Arsenal at the age of seven, making 271 appearances for the first team to date, and counting, very much the gold standard Hale End graduate, but is there another, once compared to him, currently impressing elsewhere?
What happened to Arsenal's "Saka regen"
There are plenty of Hale End academy graduates plying their trade away from Arsenal.
The aforementioned Smith Rowe and Iwobi, as well as Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry, Folarin Balogun, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock, Héctor Bellerín, Ayden Heaven, Omari Hutchinson and Mika Biereth are among some of the most prominent.
However, few were as highly rated as Amario Cozier-Duberry.
After spending six years at Chettle Court Rangers, he joined Arsenal as a 14-year-old, making 31 appearances for the U18s as well as 48 for the U21s, most notably scoring a brace against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Youth League, as well as netting against Northampton and Stevenage in the EFL Trophy.
During this period, analyst Ben Mattinson labelled him a “Saka regen”, while Art de Roché of the Athletic noted that his “super-strength is his ball-carrying and ability”, adding that he’s an “exciting” talent.
However, just when he was seemingly on the cusp of a first-team breakthrough, Cozier-Duberry turned down a new contract, instead making the move to Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2024 as Edu and Co were forced to let him go on a free transfer.
He is yet to be seen representing the Seagulls at senior level, immediately loaned out to Blackburn Rovers last season, albeit he scored just one goal in 24 outings for the Riversiders, this coming against Luton at Ewood Park in December.
However, a mere 13 miles south across Lancashire, he is loving life rather more at Bolton Wanderers.
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Already this season, Cozier-Duberry has scored four goals and registered five assists for the Trotters, on target against Sheffield Wednesday, AFC Wimbledon and Leyton Orient, subsequently actually outperforming Saka who has three goals.
Then, on Thursday night, Bolton pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks you’re ever likely to see, scoring in the 93rd and then 95th minutes to beat Huddersfield Town 2-1, with the youngster’s winner sparking wild celebrations from those in the away end at Kirklees.
Of course, the obvious caveat is that Cozier-Duberry is currently impressing at EFL League One level, which Global Football Rankings believes to be the 41st strongest division in the world.
So, while he would not be a first-team contributor right now, at 20 years old, he still has room to develop and improve, so may end up playing in Brighton’s first team in years to come.
Also, from a more cynical point of view, Arsenal need to get better at selling, and Cozier-Duberry’s performances this season are only going to increase his transfer value, potentially earning Brighton a decent fee, while the Gunners let him leave for nothing during Edu’s mixed time as sporting director, which must sting.
