Will Arsène Wenger's Youth Policy Ever Pay Off?

Arsène Wenger has admirably stuck to his principles in his time at Arsenal, but the Gunners have been trophy-less for the last five years.

On the whole, Wenger's signings have been successful.  He buys players on the cheap, develops them, and tries to integrate them into his team.  If they step out of line, he sells them on, generally for a large profit.

He is a football financier's dream manager.  Arsenal will always be in a secure financial position for as long as the Frenchman is at the helm.

However, the lack of silverware since the famous unbeaten season of 2003-04 has dismayed the fans and the players alike, with captain Cesc Fabregas having expressed a desire to return to Barcelona.

While Arsenal have been blighted by injuries to key players on a far too regular basis for Wenger's liking, he still would have expected more from his young bucks.

In yet another reshuffle of his ever changing side, Wenger is now looking to shore up the defence following the departures of William Gallas and Mikaël Silvestre, with Sol Campbell still considering a one-year contract extension.  After signing Laurent Koscielny in a reported £10m move, Wenger intends to add one more defender to bolster his depleted back-line.

At the other end of the pitch, Marouane Chamakh's protracted transfer has finally gone through, the former Bordeaux man moving on a free transfer to the capital.

Although Arsenal at times play beautiful football and can pose a threat to any team on their day, their strength in depth has been questioned at times.  The defence also appears fragile.

Wenger would argue that, if he had a fit Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fàbregas for an entire season, Arsenal would be in a much better position to challenge for honours.  He would be right, too.

However, the constant shedding of unsettled players and replacing them with youngsters to mould has hindered Arsenal's cause hugely.

There's nothing wrong with signing good young hopefuls but they need time to grow and experienced players to learn from.  It is telling that one of Arsenal's most experienced players—Fàbregas—is just 23 years of age.

If Wenger can keep a side together, there is a good chance they will succeed.  He needs to ensure that his players are given the chance to grow together, without disruptions, into the team that we all know they can become.