Parky Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Platini hits out at Wenger for teenage buys Daniel Taylor Wednesday October 31, 2007 The Guardian Arsène Wenger's policy of recruiting teenagers at Arsenal has been strongly criticised by Uefa's president, Michel Platini. Wenger has a reputation as one of Europe's foremost talent spotters, with Cesc Fábregas, Theo Walcott and Fran Mérida, a highly rated teenager signed from Barcelona, among the youngsters he has brought to the club, but Platini disapproves of his compatriot's approach in the transfer market. "I do not like the system of Arsène Wenger," the former France international said. "In France, Italy and Spain it is easy to buy with money the best players at 14, 15 or 16. I don't like that. If the best clubs buy the best 15 or 16 players, [then it] is finished for all the clubs in Europe. If my son is playing at Millwall and at 16 Manchester [united] come in for this player, then when will Millwall have a good team?" One idea would be youth players having to stay at nurturing clubs till they are 19/20. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2202099,00.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Despite his frenchness, i'm warming to Platini the more i hear from him. Genuinely wants the best for the future of the game imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skirge Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. But is it good for the game? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
midds Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. But is it good for the game? It's good for his employers! Nothing to stop any other manager from finding these young players and signing them before Wenger gets there first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Can't believe he is Millwall fan...i suspect he was involved in smashing up the buses in Leeds at the weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. But is it good for the game? It's good for his employers! Nothing to stop any other manager from finding these young players and signing them before Wenger gets there first. You're missing the point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
midds Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. But is it good for the game? It's good for his employers! Nothing to stop any other manager from finding these young players and signing them before Wenger gets there first. You're missing the point. Oh I get the point! It's not good for the game in general for a clutch of young talent to be at a few clubs. My point is that Arsenal are benefitting from appointing an excellent manager who has established a fantasyic scouting network. They're reaping the benefits of having a good manager. The talent is out there, Wenger is finding it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. But is it good for the game? It's good for his employers! Nothing to stop any other manager from finding these young players and signing them before Wenger gets there first. You're missing the point. Oh I get the point! It's not good for the game in general for a clutch of young talent to be at a few clubs. My point is that Arsenal are benefitting from appointing an excellent manager who has established a fantasyic scouting network. They're reaping the benefits of having a good manager. The talent is out there, Wenger is finding it. We know what Arsenal are doing. What is your opinion regarding the point in question? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skirge Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I don do not it being good or bad really, any young player that gets signed by a good club is very lucky and its great for the young player, yeah okay smaller clubs that find a young talent do tend to lose them to these bigger clubs and at a young age it is for a lesser fee, but should that stop it happening?. Do our young players really suffer here in England because of young foreign talent being brought in? or is it a case of up your game to compete. Maye making a simple rule that a young player not leave their club until they are 18, but then is that not unfair on any young talented players who's progress could be harmed due to missing out on better coaching at a big club? I don't think its as drastic a situation as its being made out, there are pro's and cons on bth sides of the argument but its been this way for years why change it now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I don do not it being good or bad really, any young player that gets signed by a good club is very lucky and its great for the young player, yeah okay smaller clubs that find a young talent do tend to lose them to these bigger clubs and at a young age it is for a lesser fee, but should that stop it happening?. Do our young players really suffer here in England because of young foreign talent being brought in? or is it a case of up your game to compete. Maye making a simple rule that a young player not leave their club until they are 18, but then is that not unfair on any young talented players who's progress could be harmed due to missing out on better coaching at a big club? I don't think its as drastic a situation as its being made out, there are pro's and cons on bth sides of the argument but its been this way for years why change it now. I'd say yes. It's unrealistic at such a young age ie 15/16 to have to compete with the best players from around the globe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
midds Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. But is it good for the game? It's good for his employers! Nothing to stop any other manager from finding these young players and signing them before Wenger gets there first. You're missing the point. Oh I get the point! It's not good for the game in general for a clutch of young talent to be at a few clubs. My point is that Arsenal are benefitting from appointing an excellent manager who has established a fantasyic scouting network. They're reaping the benefits of having a good manager. The talent is out there, Wenger is finding it. We know what Arsenal are doing. What is your opinion regarding the point in question? I thought the point of the article was to criticise Arsenal's youth policy? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I can see his argument but look at someone like Fabregas - had he stayed at Barcelona would he be one of the best midfielders in Europe or would he be out on loan at a smaller Spanish club and at nowhere near the same level of development? It's impossible to say for sure but it is safe to say that he was brought on massively by Wenger, otherwise Barca would never have let him go I'd guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohmelads Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I think it's very unfair to accuse Wenger of being against the good of the game when he's a manager who, perhaps more than anybody, strives to play the game in the most entertaining way possible. Young players want to go to Arsenal because Wenger is a manager who will give them a chance, and those who don't make it or don't suit his system can move on and pursue a career elsewhere (such as Bentley, Pennant, Upson). He has built up the reputation of that academy as one of the best in the world, there are richer clubs than Arsenal who are jealous of that. If anything Wenger has shown how a big club can take on those more powerful clubs and compete at the highest level without the same financial resources. Is that not good for the game? If anything Wenger is an example to follow for any decent sized club. He makes out that Wenger is stealing the best players from tiny, poor clubs, yet some of his most influential signings have been from the top clubs in Europe. Vieira came from Milan, Bergkamp from Inter, Henry from Juventus, Fabregas from Barcelona. Wenger has recognised the talent of these players more than their own clubs, and certainly got the best out of them. Is that not good for the game? Can you imagine if Henry had been left at Juventus, stuck on the left wing in the most defensive league in Europe? Can you imagine if Vieira had stayed at Milan, rotting in the reserves? I think Wenger is excellent for the game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 To be fair the Bentleys and Upsons never got much of a chance however they've managed to prove themselves elsewhere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohmelads Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 To be fair the Bentleys and Upsons never got much of a chance however they've managed to prove themselves elsewhere. I don't think any of them were good enough for Arsenal or right for his system. No point flogging a dead horse, he moved them on and they haven't suffered for going to Arsenal. They were given a good footballing education and are playing in the Premier League now. Sidwell is another example. Can you imagine the day when our academy rejects are players like these? I assume Newcastle are the type of club Platini goes for, buying average players for top prices while being seen as a graveyard for talent (Hugo Viana, anyone?). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger is the best talent spotter about, not only that, he gets the very best out of them. If he keeps his current squad together they can be a top club for many seasons to come. Every manager tries to sign the top young talent out there its just Wenger seems to be able to do better than most. But is it good for the game? It's good for his employers! Nothing to stop any other manager from finding these young players and signing them before Wenger gets there first. You're missing the point. Oh I get the point! It's not good for the game in general for a clutch of young talent to be at a few clubs. My point is that Arsenal are benefitting from appointing an excellent manager who has established a fantasyic scouting network. They're reaping the benefits of having a good manager. The talent is out there, Wenger is finding it. We know what Arsenal are doing. What is your opinion regarding the point in question? I thought the point of the article was to criticise Arsenal's youth policy? It clearly isn't. It is only an example an indicator of wider issues. Most big Euro clubs do the same as Arsenal. I think the Platini has picked out Wenger as they are mates. Would you like to see some changes in the rules regarding young players? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberto2005 Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Bullshit tbh, Wenger hasn't done anything wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
midds Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I'll be perfectly honest Parky, I'm not particularly familiar with what the current regulations actually are regarding young players! Smaller clubs do deserve more compensation however. Perhaps a standard % of any future transfer fees of 'their' player? There is no easy answer but it's inevitable that the larger clubs will always be seen as a more attractive option for any young player. If the lad gets the chance to sign for Arsenal at 15, who can stop, or indeed blame, him? Regarding the Arsenal policy, I think the onus should be on the other clubs to emulate Wenger and compete rather than just stop them from signing players under a certain age. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggio Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 We could only dream of having a youth policy like Arsenal's, the foundations put in place by the evil Daniel Comolli is a bit off putting. Still, I'm sure fat Sam will have ours up there with the best in no time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danswan Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Wenger does what he does for two reasons, get them in young so he can educate and train them to fit into his way of playing, and because it's cheaper than finding the finished article. Other teams try to do this with varying levels of success, it's just Wenger has the most success at it. We managed it with Zog, more by luck than judgement you feel. The problem with this is that it forces up the prices of young players, putting the 'cream' out of reach of many, but there's a huge pot of players to choose from so I don't really see the problem. Supply and demand. for every Fabregas there's a Viana. Wenger shouldn't be criticised just because he is better at it than anyone else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 We could only dream of having a youth policy like Arsenal's, the foundations put in place by the evil Daniel Comolli is a bit off putting. Still, I'm sure fat Sam will have ours up there with the best in no time. http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/gbi/FAO%20Fish%20Telemetry/images/angling.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 What you saying alex, Baggio has got a tiddler? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredbob Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 The things is, is while i agree with part of what Platini says i have to side with Wenger, Platini is obviuosly looking at the future of the game, but i think he misses one vital point and that is while the likes of millwall maybe able to have the natural talent, do they have the capabilities of nurturing that talent to there full potential, and to be honest i dont think so, i honestly dont believe for one minute that we'd be hearing about a young spanish midfielder playing in the centre of midfield for Barcelone at the age of 20(?) if it had not been for the likes of Wenger. Same can be said about alot of players, theres no ethical right answer to this because as the likes of Rooney and Torres and Cesc have shown, world class talent can be recognised at any age and so it would be unfair to cap the age at which they can leave a club because it would be hindering with there development. To be honest thinking aobut it i think its a pretty absurd statement to make, Wenger has created a handful of world class talent and if anything added to the game. Viera, Henry, Cesc, Toure, Petit(?), Anelka...the list goes on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggio Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 What you saying alex, Baggio has got a tiddler? Don't encourage him Chez for fuck sake. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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