"Mikel Arteta has finally found the right formula" - Robert Pires names 4 players who 'represent the future of Arsenal' 

Former Arsenal star Robert Pires has named four players who 'represent the future' of his former club.

Pires, part of the Gunners' invincibles, has hailed the quartet of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Aaron Rasmdale as the future of the club.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman has insisted that he is impressed with the 'quality' of Saka but is 'not surprised' by his development.

The 48-year-old also admitted that the 'intelligent' prodigy has been in touch with him from time to time and asks for his advice.

Speaking in an interview with FourFourTwo, Pires said, as quoted by The Sport Review: “We’ve all seen his quality. I’m not surprised by his career."

“I’m in contact with him and we chat from time to time. He asks me for advice, and he’s a very intelligent boy."

Pires has hailed the quartet of Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli and Ramsdale as the 'future of Arsenal'.

He has also credited Mikel Arteta for finding 'the right formula' to blend youth with experience.

The Frenchman added: “Saka, [Emile] Smith Rowe, [Gabriel] Martinelli… they’re all important players I really like. It’s the same with Aaron Ramsdale."

“Together, they represent the future of Arsenal and must grow alongside more experienced players like [Granit] Xhaka, Gabriel or [Thomas] Partey."

"That mix was hard to put together, but Mikel Arteta has finally found the right formula.”

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Future looks bright for Arsenal if they can retain their core group of players

Arsenal are still pretty much a work in progress but Mikel Arteta is definitely taking them in the right direction.

The Spanish manager has kept his faith in younger players and the youth-oriented approach seems to be working.

The Gunners have some of the best under-21 players in the Premier League in the form of Saka, Martinelli and Emith Rowe.

With their core group of players growing alongside one another, the future looks bright for the North London club.

However, the club must ensure that they retain their best talents if they are to reclaim their lost position in English football.

In their Arsene Wenger era, the Gunners nurtured some world-class talents like Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to name a few.

However, they failed to keep hold of those players and Arteta has to ensure that history does not repeat itself.