Arsenal's Hale End academy has established itself as one of the best in the world, and boasts a rich history of developing stars.

Hale End has ingrained itself into the Gunners' culture with youth development becoming a key part of the club's vision.

As well as the obvious benefits to this, like developing world-class talents for little to none cost, developing players through an academy has the added bonus of helping with squad registration rules (homegrown players).

Whilst it is easy to become fixated on some of Arsenal's current academy graduates, who are currently shining on the world stage, it is important to not forget the stars of years gone by, who have helped to pave the way for the club's evolution over the years.

This article will look at the past, present and future stars of Arsenal's Hale End academy, shedding light on one of the jewels of the North London club.

Past academy graduates

When defining a club legend, it is probably a fair assessment to say that having a statue outside of the Emirates Stadium immediately qualifies you as such.

Tony Adams certainly fits that bill and is widely regarded by fans as one of Arsenal's best-ever players, and the best player to captain the Gunners too.

Adams made 624 appearances for Arsenal across his 19-year career in North London, and was famously a 'one club man' having never left the Gunners, even on loan, during his career.

During his illustrious career, Adams won ten major honours with his boyhood club, and became club captain at the age of just 21 years old, a role he held until his retirement 14 years later.

As far as academy products go, it would be difficult to hope for one to be better or more successful than Adams, which is why he comfortably makes this list.

Ashley Cole is something of a divisive figure among Arsenal fans, owing to his infamous move to London rivals Chelsea in 2006.

Despite the animosity that many Arsenal fans feel towards him, there is no denying Cole's greatness, with many considering him to be the best left-back in Premier League history.

Cole made 228 appearances for the Gunners, and was part of the famous 2003/04 Invincible side, while winning five major honours in total with the North Londoners.

Now aged 43, Cole has recently been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, where he joins former manager Arsene Wenger and teammate Thierry Henry.

The former gave glowing praise for Cole after his induction, saying: "When he played his first game, you feel straightaway this guy is made to be at this level. You think straightaway, 'I will have a problem to take him out again.' That's what you want from players. He had that.

"Time will heal the wounds [of his exit], and he will be recognised as one of the great defenders of Arsenal Football Club."

While there will be some who argue that Cole spent his best years away from Arsenal, that does not change the fact that it was the Gunners' academy who produced him, which is exactly why he had to be included in this list.

Present academy graduates

While there are at least four top-quality players who spring to mind when considering active Arsenal players who came through the academy, the criteria for this list is any academy graduate who has played for the Gunners in the last ten years, to diversify the options a little beyond the obvious.

Despite expanding the qualifying parameters for this section, it feels a formality to see Bukayo Saka included, and nobody will debate this point.

The 22-year-old has played 216 times for Arsenal, as well as 32 times for England, and he has already achieved well over 100 goals and assists combined in his short yet glistening career to date.

As well as already leading his boyhood club to FA Cup glory in the 2019/20 season, Saka has also won back-to-back England Men's Player of the Year awards, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons - owing to his international contributions.

The Englishman has shown his passion for the club and became an immediate fan favourite when he burst onto the scene and, despite some negative rumours of his possible exit, Saka committed his future to the club by signing a new long-term deal last summer, until 2027.

  • 2 - Jack Wilshere

The term 'generational talent' is often banded about too freely in modern football, but few fit the bill for such a label as Jack Wilshere.

Wilshere made his Arsenal debut in 2008, at just 16 years old - making him the club's youngest-ever debutant at the time.

He went on to play 197 times for the Gunners, as well as 34 times for England, but injuries persisted throughout his career and proved to be the source of his downfall.

During his time with Arsenal, Wilshere spent a staggering 818 days (or roughly two years and three months) sidelined with various injuries, which ultimately led to him leaving the club in 2018, after turning down a 'pay as you play' style contract extension proposal.

He left Arsenal aged 26 years old, and his career failed to properly take off again, until his eventual retirement in 2022, aged just 30 years old.

Wilshere is now Arsenal's U18s manager, and has been doing an excellent job, but his raw talent in his early career was out of this world, and makes the sad end to his career all the more bitter.

Future academy stars

Scouts and coaches are constantly working at Hale End, and in fact around the globe, to assemble the next generation of Arsenal stars, and there are several players currently in the club's youth ranks who look to be the real deal.

You probably knew that this one was coming, and I make absolutely no apologies for it.

In truth, Nwaneri was probably the inspiration for this entire article and if you are an Arsenal fan, or have seen him play for any length of time, you will understand why that is.

In September 2022, Nwaneri made his Premier League debut for Arsenal as a substitute against Brentford, becoming the Premier League's youngest-ever player at just 15 years old (and 181 days).

Since then, the now-17-year-old has continued to light up Arsenal's youth teams, having scored 14 goals and created three assists in just 14 youth team appearances in the 2023/24 season so far.

There had been rumours of Nwaneri leaving the club on a free transfer, but Arsenal fans were elated just weeks ago when it was announced that he had signed his first professional contract with the Gunners.

It is difficult to predict the future of young talents, especially after the hype surrounding Miguel Azeez and Charlie Patino in recent years, but if anybody can make it, Nwaneri looks to be the real deal.

  • 2 - Chido Obi

Chidozie Obi-Martin, who is known as Chido Obi, joined Arsenal in 2022 from local Danish side Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB), at the age of just 14 years old.

In the U18 Premier League this season, the now-16-year-old has so far scored 12 goals and registered two assists in just 11 appearances.

Chido Obi has represented both Denmark and England at U16 level, but is currently choosing to play for his native Denmark as an U17 international.

He made headlines just last month as he netted four goals in one game, as Arsenal U18s beat Fulham 5-2, with Chido Obi netting an impressive four goals in the game.

Fans have picked up on his progress early and, while this can hinder young players, the attention has all been positive so far.

One account on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to his four goals by saying: "What can you say about him, superb prospect, getting better every game."

Though he is almost certainly still at least a couple of years away from being seen amongst the first team, the future looks bright for Chido Obi, who is a shining light in Arsenal's already glistening academy.