Mikel Arteta’s young Arsenal side are impressing everyone in the Premier League this season but how does our average age compare with Europe’s youngest sides?
The Gunners started the campaign in terrible fashion. We lost each of our first three games in the league and dropped down to the bottom of the table. Arteta’s job was on the line and many expected him to face the sack.
Arsenal kept faith in him and he’s now delivering. He has definitely turned things around and his youngsters are the biggest reason why. But, are the Gunners the youngest side in Europe’s top-five leagues?
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Average age: Are Arsenal the youngest side in Europe?
The average age of Arsenal this season is 24 years and 242 days. That comfortably makes us the youngest side in the Premier League – about a year younger than the next team on the list, Brentford.
However, where do Arsenal rank among the youngest sides in Europe? Opta reveal that Arteta’s team is the fifth-youngest side in Europe’s top-five leagues this season.
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Bayer Leverkusen top the list with an average age of 24 years and 190 days. Spezia, Reims and Monaco rank above Arsenal as well, but it’s safe to say, we are the biggest club on the list, and to have such a young squad is just remarkable.
Mikel Arteta deserves huge credit
Arteta has received a lot of stick this year.
Some fans first wanted him gone when we were knocked out of the Europa League last season and that pressure only increased when we dropped out of all European competitions after finishing eighth in the Premier League.
To make things worse, Arsenal started this campaign with three consecutive defeats. Arteta could’ve easily abandoned his plan of developing young players in favour of more experienced options, but he didn’t.
He backed the youngsters and Arsenal are reaping the rewards now. If the young players continue to improve in the coming months, we will be a real force in the Premier League in the very near future.
