Arsenal are among the top clubs in Europe for developing youngsters, according to new figures.
The Gunners come out eighth in a survey of where first-team players in the five biggest leagues – the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga – were trained.
The study, by the CIES Football Observatory, shows that 22 of the players in those divisions spent their formative years – between the ages of 15 and 21 – at Arsenal, with nine of them still at the club.
Under that criteria, players such as Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott count as ‘homegrown’, despite being signed from other clubs.
Real Madrid top the list with 41, while Barcelona (37), Manchester United (34), Lyon (29) and Athletic Bilbao (25) complete the top five.
Tottenham are the next English club, in joint 23rd, with 17 players trained, and Chelsea are level with Southampton with 13 players – although only three (John Terry, Ola Aina and Nathaniel Chalobah) are still at Stamford Bridge and featured before the 1 October cut-off.
Manchester City lag further behind, having only developed 12 players – and only one of them remains with the club.
When the net is cast wider, to include those plying their trade in 31 of Europe’s top divisions, Arsenal are responsible for 35 ‘homegrown’ players, but slip well down a list that is topped by Ajax.
