Martin Keown says he has seen two wonderkids in Arsenal’s academy who could play together for next 20 years

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Arsenal’s academy has become one of the club’s biggest strengths in recent years.

The emergence of players like Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly has saved Arsenal millions in the transfer market.

That has allowed Mikel Arteta and the recruitment team to spend heavily on improving other areas of the squad while still integrating elite young talent into the first team.

Now, two more academy stars are generating enormous excitement behind the scenes at Hale End.

Martin Keown believes they could even play together for the next two decades.

Martin Keown says Max Dowman and Marli Salmon could play together for 20 years

Max Dowman is already viewed by many Arsenal supporters as the next generational talent to emerge from Hale End.

The teenager has received huge praise from senior players and coaches alike because of his unbelievable technical ability and maturity.

Marli Salmon is another youngster highly rated internally at Arsenal.

While Dowman has received more public attention so far, there is enormous belief inside the club that Salmon also has the tools to become a top-level player.

Keown is clearly extremely excited about what Arsenal have coming through the academy system once again.

The former defender believes the duo could become key figures at the club for many years if they continue developing properly.

Speaking about Arsenal’s young players, Keown told Hayters: “Without doubt, homegrown players are important.

“It’s great to see the youngsters coming through.

“You’ve got that now with Dowman coming, Marli Salmon as well. Those two are so young, and they could be together for the next 15 or 20 years, that’s the hope.”

Who is the one Arsenal academy player you thought would become a superstar but never did?

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Arsenal’s academy could become even better

What makes Arsenal’s situation even more exciting is that the club are still heavily investing in improving the academy structure.

Per Mertesacker’s upcoming departure will lead to further changes behind the scenes, with Arsenal determined to make Hale End even stronger in the coming years.

That investment may cost money now, but it could save the club enormous sums in the future if more elite players continue emerging internally.

Producing academy stars is one of the smartest ways for top clubs to build sustainable success. If Arsenal keep developing talents at this rate, Arteta could eventually have a squad filled with elite homegrown players alongside world-class signings.

That would make Arsenal even stronger than they already are right now.