Arsenal: Past And Present

Let me start by saying that Arsene Wenger is the greatest judge of talent currently in the game.

I am saying this as a Chelsea fan who greatly admires the Professor's ability to take talented young players and turn them into legends.

Looking at the list of Arsenal proteges, I found it interesting that several of the players in Arsenal's current squad greatly resemble some of the past Arsenal legends.

In this article I'd like to share with you some comparisons I made:

Robin Van Persie: A highly technical Dutchman who is most comfortably playing in the hole behind the main striker. Both van Persie and his corresponding legend are dedicated trainers, working at their technique religiously during practice. Robin is following in the footsteps of the Dutch Master Dennis Bergkamp.

Theo Walcott: Walcott's three main assets are his pace, ball control, and finishing abilities. This young Englishman also wears the number 14, the same as his predecessor and Arsenal's all time leading scorer, Thierry Henry. Only time will tell though if Walcott ever scales the height that Henry did at Arsenal.

Emmanuel Eboue: This raiding right back is almost a carbon copy of former Arsenal right back Lauren. Both players can play as right backs or right midfielders but while Lauren was more prone to sit back and defend, Eboue likes to get forward and join the attack.

Cesc Fabregas: The heartbeat for this Arsenal side, Fabregas gets the job done in a different style than his legend. While Patrick Vieira was a box-to-box midfielder, tackling an opponent in his own six-yard box one second and leading an Arsenal fast-break the other, Fabregas is more of a midfield maestro, controlling the game and making intelligent passes in a central midfield role.

Gael Clichy: Arsenal legend Ashley Cole was allowed to transfer to Chelsea and the emerging Gael Clichy was a big reason why. After Cole's departure, the Frenchman has blossomed into possibly the best left-back in the entire Premiership and one of Arsenal's key players.

Emmanuel Adebayor: A tall stature, impressive aerial ability, and impressive ball control for a man of his size brings back memories of Highbury legend Nwanko Kanu. Adebayor himself was a fan of Kanu and upon his arrival at Arsenal was given the nickname "Baby Kanu".

All of these players (with the exception of Adebayor) had the privilege of playing alongside their respective legends and I am absolutely positive that this was an important part of their Arsenal footballing education and instrumental in making them the players that they are today.

If you have any other possible comparisons, whether it be at Arsenal or anywhere else, please leave a comment.