Arsenal’s academy now has an issue that should really worry Per Mertesacker

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The Arsenal academy has been a shining light for the Gunners in recent times, having produced some quality stars for the first team.

Most notably, Mikel Arteta has brought through the likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Max Dowman and Andre Harriman-Annous in the past year.

All of those youngsters from the Hale End academy have contributed to helping Arsenal with the impact of their injuries.

While there are some positives on that front, there are some issues within the youth teams that will be a concern for Per Mertesacker.

Arsenal suffer a win drought across the academy teams

While player development is a key aspect of the youth teams at Arsenal, there is also a desire to have a strong and competitive side that can win.

The Gunners have often had that, but this season, there has been something of a struggle at the academy level.

The under-21s haven’t won a game since late September, suffering three defeats and two draws in that time.

Two of those losses came at the hands of senior sides; the latest of those was a 3-1 defeat to Cardiff City in the Vertu Trophy.

The Arsenal under-18s have suffered from similar issues, losing three of their last five fixtures, conceding 15 goals in that time.

The under-19s side, which is put together purely for the UEFA Youth League in midweek, have lost every game so far, falling to defeat against Athletic Club, Olympiacos, Atletico Madrid and Slavia Prague.

It all points to a potential concern at Arsenal when it comes to the academy staying competitive, not least with the amount of change they have faced, both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch, there have been some quick graduations for the likes of Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman and Harriman-Annous, meaning the next group of players have had to step up.

However, instability off the pitch may also be a problem facing the youngsters.

Arsenal’s academy head coach changes

While there have been plenty of changes in the academy squads, there have also been some huge shifts in the coaching ranks.

Jack Wilshere left Arsenal as their under-18s head coach to join Norwich last season, a position that he has since left, now taking up the role as Luton Town’s head coach.

He was replaced by Adam Birchall, who has overseen some good moments with the under-18s, before the recent spell of poor form.

The under-21s saw plenty of change too, with Mehmet Ali leaving to join Brentford, as Max Porter was appointed to replace him.

All of those switches won’t have been easy, but there is now some time to gather again for the upcoming run of fixtures.

Arsenal under-21s won’t feature again in Premier League 2 action until January, allowing for some respite in the short term.