Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 6y

Tottenham products flourishing but Arsenal still winning youth 'derby'

In the ongoing tussle for North London supremacy, a quick look at recent England squads only adds more ammunition to one side of the argument.

For England's final World Cup qualifiers, Gareth Southgate called up five Tottenham Hotspur players and none from Arsenal -- and that was with Spurs left-back Danny Rose out injured.

That imbalance is yet another reason to believe last season's power shift, with Tottenham finishing above the Gunners for the first time under Arsene Wenger's management (over 21 years), was more than just a temporary anomaly.

But as the hostilities between the two local rivals resume at the Emirates this weekend, Arsenal can still find hope for the future. Not in Southgate's most recent squad, but in the England teams at the age levels below.

This international break, the England squads for the under-17, U19 and U20 teams contained a total of seven Arsenal players -- a larger contingent than from any other club (and that's not counting Chris Willock, who left for Benfica this summer.) Tottenham had a total of three.

That may be of little consolation to those Arsenal fans worried that Mauricio Pochettino's team will stay ahead of Wenger's for the foreseeable future. But it shows that Arsenal's academy is still churning out young talent at a quicker rate than Spurs.

For two clubs who still struggle to compete with the real giants in the transfer market, it could be the decisive factor that determines which club is the pride of north London for the long term.

Tottenham's current success has been built in large part around academy products, with Harry Kane the most striking example. And Pochettino has undoubtedly been more successful in developing young talent than Wenger has in recent years.

But a look at Arsenal's current crop of youngsters shows they may have their own golden generation about to come through.

Reiss Nelson -- the most highly touted young Gunner -- and Joe Willock have been regular starters in the Europa League and Carabao Cup this season, gaining vital first-team experience alongside former academy product Alex Iwobi.

Eddie Nketiah followed up his two-goal performance against Norwich in the Carabao Cup by netting four times in one game for England U19s last week, then added another in the following match. And let's not forget Kelechi Nwakali, the 19-year-old Nigerian wonder-kid who is on loan in the Netherlands for the second year in a row, this time at VVV-Venlo.

Other young English prospects include Josh DaSilva, Marcus McGuane and Jordi Osei-Tutu, who have all been included in Wenger's cup squads this season. Of the three, only DaSilva was among the seven Arsenal players called up for England's youth teams this month -- another sign of the depth of talent coming through.

And, for what it's worth, both Arsenal's U23s and U18s sit firmly above Tottenham in their respective league tables -- though that probably won't bring about any St. Totteringham's Day celebrations.

The Arsenal academy's success is especially remarkable given the fact that it currently has no leader, with former head Andries Jonker yet to be replaced after taking a coaching job in Germany last season. Club captain Per Mertesacker will take over that role next year, and could perhaps add a more defence-minded focus to a youth system that has always prioritised attacking play during Wenger's reign.

But Mertesacker's main duty will be to make sure this crop of exciting players doesn't go to waste.

At senior level, Tottenham certainly seem to be winning the battle. But maybe Arsenal's academy can help them win the war.

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