Arsenal are set to introduce a new, ‘aggressive’ youth recruitment policy, in order to better the club’s long-term future.
Academy insiders believe that the youth side’s from 16 upwards have fallen behind that of the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, forcing them into rethinking their youth recruitment policy.
Arsenal’s under-21s have done well this season, however, they were relegated previously and are well behind a competitive level, leaving those at the Hale End base frustrated regarding the intake of youngsters.
The Gunners introduced Andries Jonker to a Head of Academy role in 2014, while bringing in the likes of Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires, who regularly work with the youngsters in the side.
According to the Football Insider, sources within the club are ‘unhappy’ with the level of quality in the youth ranks at Arsenal.
The regular contact we have from kids and parents is that they don’t like the approach.
Arsenal’s youth teams are nowhere near as strong as they used to be.
The quality of the individual is not as good. Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City, in particular, have far stronger players.
The scouts at the club have brought in the likes of Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Yassin Fortune, Ismael Bennacer, Hector Bellerin, Krystian Bielik and Julio Pleguezuelo in recent years, while nurturing talents like Alex Iwobi and Daniel Crowley, meaning the club has a number of options and potentially a bright future ahead.
Comments.
Loading comments…