LB recently wrote (briefly) about the efficiency of the Chelsea model i.e. buying every youngster from anywhere, lending them out all over Europe, and not using their Academy to develop players.
Arsenal, however, choose to take a different path; bringing young players through the ranks at the Hale End Academy with the intention of giving youth a chance. So far we have some exciting players who have come through – Smith Rowe (Lab), Iwobi, Nketiah, Nelson and Maitland-Niles (Cons) have all been with the club since childhood. Add in Catwalk who arrived as a 16 year-old and we can see this appears to work.
But will it bring us the Title?
The Chavs sign world class players as men and they have delivered the PL. Does it matter that they are mercenaries with no Chelsea connection? There is no JT or Butch Wilkins. Even the very best of their imported youth doesn’t get a sniff (Christensen the Danish CB is a wonderful player – are you listening Unai?)
Man City are hoovering up the best of the World’s academy players and lending them out but I expect City to use some of these Wonderkids, and they have promoted Foden into the first team squad which is good for Ingerlund and City. However, it does not stop them from having €30m+ players in every position.
Liverpool are interesting. €70m+ for a CB and Gk, shitloads on strikers and MF’s yet 3 players from the yoof and lower leagues in defence. But they have spent hundreds of millions to get where they are and have yet to win any silverware.
Spurs? Who cares?
In my opinion, the days of a club winning the PL with homegrowns is well gone. We must hope that the mix of Academy players plus World Class imports like Terrier, PEA and Laca brought in, will bring us a title. Though sadly, I doubt it.
written by Big Raddy
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Cheers, BR.
I don’t think we should ever follow Chelsea doing anything. 🙂
Let’s hope the youth doing so well at younger international levels (as below) and our new super-duper purchasing team bringing in gems, will provide the right blend for success.
Erik
I’ll have to thank you having only “sped red” the post
Desperate to get stuck into an interesting topic
I always dream of having a minimum of one Mr Arsenal in the side
So will ponder during my full on crypto meetings today
Thanks for the read BR
I have quite a long answer so I might try and use it for a post to help fill the break.
Spurs? Who cares?
Best comment ever
My comment first echoes Chas’ first sentence.
Then, what we need most from our Academy players first and foremost is “hunger”- even before talent. ( although let’s not decry the latter)
Now the question is can the spoilt generation that is 15-19 now ever again have that hunger? Especially when they no longer clean boots, sweep the terraces etc and earn enough money to buy flash cars from their first paycheque.
As I mentioned before, the last lot of British players, lauded as the way forward by AW, underachieved, and I believe largely through lack of self-drive/motivation.
So, don’t do a Chelsea and buy up everything and hope for one real success in ever 50. Look carefully around the World for those who have fought their way up from being brought up in such places as Fray Bentos, and have a powerful drive to succeed…..and talent.
I’ve just been offered 8 legs of venison for £180.
Is that too deer?
Strange watching Croatia and England play in an empty stadium. So different from the last game they played against each other.
A group of proper English fans – they were nor allowed into the stadium so they found a hill that overlooked the ground and are standing there singing the lungs out.
agree with LBG
May we NEVER EVER use chelsea as an example of how to run a club. Here are a number of reasons;
1) they are in a precarious position relying on one source of income for transfers….Abramovich could pull up stakes or sell anytime. Kroenke could also but the club doesn’t rely on him like Chelsea does for Abramovich,
2) they treat their youth like serfs, and have no intention of allowing them to learn in the first team….they just want to keep them out of other team’s hands,
3) they have the financial resources to buy whoever they want, whenever they want but that doesn’t always work. The Arsenal may take longer to reach success but our model is less risky and more stable for the club,
4) the culture and soul of AFC is totally different from the win at all and any cost mentality of City and Chelsea. even clubs like United, whose resources are vast, seem to screw things up, despite buying so-called ¨superstars¨. I hope and pray AFc never follow that model either.
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