It may have been Arsenal’s transfer dealings that caught the eye this summer as they broke the bank to sign Nicolas Pepe and pulled off a coup by taking Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid.

However, in reality, their most impressive piece of business looks as though it was the promotion of Freddie Ljungberg to Unai Emery’s first-team coaching staff.

The Swede spent last season working with the Under-23s, but he was promoted in July as the club appointed a transition team to get the best out of an exciting group of young players coming through the academy.

It is a reshuffle that led to Steve Bould stepping down to coach the Under-23s. Per Mertesacker now oversees the academy and first-team goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo has taken on additional responsibilities by agreeing to help young goalkeepers make the move from academy to senior football.

The loans manager, Ben Knapper, is continuing to play his part by finding clubs for young players and helping them progress towards the first-team.

But the most important cog in this wheel is Ljungberg. The former midfielder was promoted to Emery’s staff to specifically help young players break into the first team and, just over a month into the season, it appears a shrewd move by the Arsenal hierarchy.

The Gunners have played seven matches this season and in five of those games at least one player who worked under Ljungberg last year has started.

Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson have been given their chance to shine in the first team and, tellingly, afterwards they have name-checked Ljungberg.

Last week Saka, after scoring his first goal for the club, against Eintracht Frankfurt, described the Swede’s role as “vital”, and last month Willock labelled the former midfielder as an “unbelievable coach” and a “mentor”.

Indeed it is in Willock where Arsenal have perhaps seen the biggest benefit of having Ljungberg as part of the first-team coaching staff. The Swede knows the 20-year-old’s game so well that he can help him enormously.

Ljungberg has been helping him get into the pockets of space behind the forward line so as to increase the midfielder’s number of goals.

Arsenal squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers 27 show all Arsenal squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers 1/27 Here is the current injuries and suspensions status of Arsenal's first-team squad... Getty Images 2/27 Bernd Leno Squad Number: 1



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 3/27 Hector Bellerin Squad Number: 2



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/27 Kieran Tierney Squad Number: 3



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Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/27 Sokratis Papastathopoulos Squad Number: 5



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Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/27 Dani Ceballos Squad Number: 8



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Contract expires: 15/07/2019 Getty Images 7/27 Alexandre Lacazette Squad Number: 9



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Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 8/27 Mesut Ozil Squad Number: 10



Condition: FIt



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 9/27 Lucas Torreira Squad Number: 11



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Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/27 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Squad Number: 14



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Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/27 Ainsley Maitland-Niles Squad Number: 15



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Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 12/27 Rob Holding Squad Number: 16



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/27 Cedric Soares Squad Number: 17



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/27 Nicolas Pepe Squad Number: 19



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/27 Shkodran Mustafi Squad Number: 20



Condition: Thigh injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 16/27 Calum Chambers Squad Number: 21



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/27 Pablo Mari Squad Number: 22



Condition: Ankle injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/27 David Luiz Squad Number: 23



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 AP 19/27 Reiss Nelson Squad Number: 24



Condition: Groin injury (doubt)



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 20/27 Emiliano Martinez Squad Number: 26



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/27 Joe Willock Squad Number: 28



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Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 22/27 Eddie Nketiah Squad Number: 30



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Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 23/27 Matteo Guendouzi Squad Number: 29



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Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/27 Sead Kolasinac Squad Number: 31



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Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/27 Granit Xhaka Squad Number: 34



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Liverpool FC via Getty Images 26/27 Gabriel Martinelli Squad Number: 35



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 REUTERS 27/27 Konstantinos Mavropanos Squad Number: 27



Condition: Fit (on loan to Nuremberg)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 1/27 Here is the current injuries and suspensions status of Arsenal's first-team squad... Getty Images 2/27 Bernd Leno Squad Number: 1



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 3/27 Hector Bellerin Squad Number: 2



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/27 Kieran Tierney Squad Number: 3



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/27 Sokratis Papastathopoulos Squad Number: 5



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/27 Dani Ceballos Squad Number: 8



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 15/07/2019 Getty Images 7/27 Alexandre Lacazette Squad Number: 9



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 8/27 Mesut Ozil Squad Number: 10



Condition: FIt



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 9/27 Lucas Torreira Squad Number: 11



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/27 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Squad Number: 14



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/27 Ainsley Maitland-Niles Squad Number: 15



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Getty Images 12/27 Rob Holding Squad Number: 16



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/27 Cedric Soares Squad Number: 17



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/27 Nicolas Pepe Squad Number: 19



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/27 Shkodran Mustafi Squad Number: 20



Condition: Thigh injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 Getty Images 16/27 Calum Chambers Squad Number: 21



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/27 Pablo Mari Squad Number: 22



Condition: Ankle injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/27 David Luiz Squad Number: 23



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2021 AP 19/27 Reiss Nelson Squad Number: 24



Condition: Groin injury (doubt)



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 20/27 Emiliano Martinez Squad Number: 26



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/27 Joe Willock Squad Number: 28



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: Contracted Getty Images 22/27 Eddie Nketiah Squad Number: 30



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Getty Images 23/27 Matteo Guendouzi Squad Number: 29



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/27 Sead Kolasinac Squad Number: 31



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2022 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/27 Granit Xhaka Squad Number: 34



Condition: Fit



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 Liverpool FC via Getty Images 26/27 Gabriel Martinelli Squad Number: 35



Condition: Knee injury (ruled out)



Contract expires: 30/06/2024 REUTERS 27/27 Konstantinos Mavropanos Squad Number: 27



Condition: Fit (on loan to Nuremberg)



Contract expires: 30/06/2023 Arsenal FC via Getty Images

The fact Willock got on the scoresheet against Frankfurt last week will not have gone unnoticed.

The bond Ljungberg has with the young players cannot be ignored.

At Anfield last month, when Willock was about to start arguably the biggest game of his career, Ljungberg spent the final moments of the warm-up talking to the midfielder before going through some short passing drills with him as others headed to the dressing room.

Of course, Ljungberg could not flourish in his new role if there were not the young players to work with and Arsenal are blessed in that they appear to have an exciting crop coming through.

Tonight will likely present another chance for a youngster to make his mark and, if he does, don’t be surprised to hear him thank Ljungberg.