It's no secret that Arsenal have one of the best academies within the English football pyramid. Over recent years, the club have developed talents that have gone on to have very successful careers at the top level all over the globe.
Players such as Cesc Fàbregas, Ashley Cole and Serge Gnabry have all come through the Hale End Academy and had success in leagues such as La Liga, the Premier League and the Bundesliga.
Fabregas and Cole in particular enjoyed brilliant spells for the Gunners under then-boss Arsène Wenger before both going on to join rivals Chelsea in somewhat controversial circumstances.
#1 Ethan Nwaneri
15 years, 5 months, 28 days
2022: Brentford
#2 Cesc Fabregas
16 years, 5 months, 24 days
2003: Rotherham
#3 Jack Wilshere
16 years, 8 months, 12 days
2008: Blackburn
#4 Jermaine Pennant
16 years, 10 months, 15 days
1999: Middlesbrough
#5 Paul Vaessen
16 years, 11 months, 11 days
1978: Lokomotive Leipzig
#6 Ryan Smith
16 years, 11 months, 18 days
2003: Rotherham
#7 Gedion Zelalem
16 years, 11 months, 29 days
2014: Coventry
#8 Armand Traore
17 years, 16 days
2006: West Brom
However, a big talent from the Gunners' academy might have already slipped through the net, with a former Hale End academy player starring in Serie A over the past few years.
Where is Ismael Bennacer now?
After leaving the Emirates in 2017 for a reported £850,000 transfer fee to join Empoli, Ismael Bennacer has taken his career to the next level and started to show the Gunners what they could've had if they kept hold of the Algeria international.
Bennacer, now aged 26, plays for AC Milan in Serie A after joining the Italian giants in 2019 for a reported £15m on a five-year contract. During his four years at Milan, Bennacer has featured 152 times, scoring six times from central midfield.
The Algerian played a crucial part in the Milan side that reached the Champions League semi-finals last season before they were eventually knocked out by city rivals Inter Milan.
His stint with The Rossoneri has seen his market value skyrocket, with multiple sides across the globe holding interest in the former Arsenal midfielder. As per Transfermarkt, Bennacer's current market value sits at £30m, over £29m more than what the Gunners sold him for just under seven years ago.
His form in Milan has sparked interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool in recent years, with Bennacer more than capable of being a first-team starter in England's top flight after his successful stint in Italy.
How Bennacer compares to Granit Xhaka
After Granit Xhaka's £21.4m move to join current Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard have cemented their place in Mikel Arteta's midfield.
Games
Goals
Assists
Key passes p/g
Tackles p/g
Yellow cards
32
2
2
1.1
2.4
5
38
1
7
1
2.1
10
29
4
2
1.4
1.8
10
31
1
2
0.5
1.5
10
31
1
2
0.5
1.6
7
27
1
2
1.2
1.2
10
37
7
7
1.3
0.9
5
However, the third and final spot in Arsenal's midfield is yet to be nailed down with multiple players trying to fill the void left by that of Xhaka.
Jorginho and Kai Havertz have often shared the final midfield spot. However, the Gunners should look to bring Bennacer back to the Emirates, with the former Arsenal man now rather remarkably the missing piece in Arteta's midfield puzzle.
Bennacer has averaged 1.9 successful take-ons in Serie A this season – a tally that ranks him within the top 3% of all central midfielders in Europe's top five leagues this season.
The Algerian is a great modern-day box-to-box midfielder, something the Gunners have missed since Xhaka departed. He's averaged 0.2 non-penalty goals per game this season, another stat that sees him rank comfortably within the top 12% of all midfielders in Europe.
Bennacer doesn't just excel in attacking areas. The full-blooded midfielder has proved himself to be just as solid defensively, averaging 1.6 blocks per 90 and 2.3 tackles per game in Serie A – with his average of blocks per game within the top 17% of midfielders this campaign.
When comparing Bennacer's stats from this campaign to Xhaka's from the 2022/23 Premier League season, the Algerian happens to average the same number of non-penalty goals per 90 as Xhaka, but the Milan midfielder does average significantly more blocks and tackles, with the Swiss averaging 0.8 and one respectively.
However, Xhaka does hold the edge when it comes to progressive passes completed per 90, with the former Arsenal captain averaging 5.9, 1.8 more than Bennacer's tally of 4.8 per game. Still impressive with the former Hale End product, nonetheless.
The AC Milan midfielder has a £42.5m release clause in his current deal, a figure that could prove to be a bargain given his ability at both ends of the pitch in recent campaigns.