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The all things positive thread

lomekian

Essays are my thing
I’ll never understand why people get so excited over youth players, how is having the second youngest squad even a good thing?

Arsenal fans never learn we been sold this youngster sh*t forever and it never benefits us. Either the player leaves when their contract is down or they spend most of the time injured. Look at Chambers & Holding for example we’re still waiting for them to produce. Oh wait maybe Reiss Nelson will be our saviour?

Our best players recently were Alexis and Auba both players we bought in their prime. Give me a squad full of players over 25 youth is overrated.

Firstly, a youth system can give you squad players and the odd first teamer for peanuts. Strategically its a no brainer.

Second, most long terms success at super clubs is massively augmented by youth systems or very young signings. Barca, Bayern, Man U, Ajax, Milan etc. The only teams who achieve long term success without it are the ones we cannot compete with financially.

Thirdly, youth players are always a source of excitement at any club. All fans want to see kids who've grown up with the club come through. They also tend to stay longer, be more loyal and are often better at communicating the clubs values to new players if they are good enough to make it.

Lastly, every player in the world was a youth player somewhere. I doubt you'd be saying the same if we'd successfully nabbed Pique and Messi alongside Cesc when we wanted to. Or if Ashley Cole had stayed and become legend. Or if we develop a crop like that United lot in the mid 90s.

At the moment, a youth player is outperforming our record signing and 2/3 of the wide players in the division...
 

lomekian

Essays are my thing
This is so spot on. How many top sides down the years have their first team loaded with academy players? Peps Barca maybe? I really don't understand the obsession.

Chambers should have been sold 3 years ago and he is still at the club. We could see after his first season he wasn't good enough, yet fans still want to keep him around and give him a chance.

Liverpool sold the likes of Sterling/Ibe/Kelly/Wilson/Solanke, which then helped them bring in Salah/Mane ect. I'm sure they're fuming they didn't give the youth a chance.

Most times you can see if a player is good enough or not. From the current lot, Saka/Martinelli look as if they will make it at the top level. Personally I think Willock has the tools to be a useful player, but the duty is still out on him.

The rest should be used to generate funds for first 11 quality players. Nelson's the prime candidate here, hopefully we can get 20m for him.

Yes and no. Not all players develop at the same rate. Anyone seeing Iwobi at 17 would have been astonished to be told he'd one day raise £30m. Half of United's class of '92 hadn't done much by the time they were 19/20.

Given that there is a requirement by the laws of the EPL and European competitions to have a certain number of home grown players (and in Europe 1/2 have to be from your own youth set up), players like Chambers will have their place. Every top squad bar the oil barons has a smattering of homegrown kids who aren't 1st choice, but tick the box and can do a job. Chambers won't ever be first choice in all likelihood, but he is as solid as half the other chumps we have back there, cost us less, has lower wages and counts towards our home-grown quota.

Were they no quotas, I'd give your view more credence, but we've already seen City & Utd and previously Chelsea spunk fortunes on reserves homegrown players out of desperation. We've lost a lot of British kids in recent years, so we need to keep the ones we have for the moment. If the next wave comes through and makes them redundant, great, but you can't operate in isolation from the rules.
 

Jury

A-M's drunk uncle
Positives? My batty is getting stronger by the day. And what Hunta said^^. Two absolute ballers ready to drag us up a level next season. Saliba as well. He'll prove to be a bit special and force his way in.
 

MikelHadADream

Established Member
Trusted ⭐
Yes and no. Not all players develop at the same rate. Anyone seeing Iwobi at 17 would have been astonished to be told he'd one day raise £30m. Half of United's class of '92 hadn't done much by the time they were 19/20.

Given that there is a requirement by the laws of the EPL and European competitions to have a certain number of home grown players (and in Europe 1/2 have to be from your own youth set up), players like Chambers will have their place. Every top squad bar the oil barons has a smattering of homegrown kids who aren't 1st choice, but tick the box and can do a job. Chambers won't ever be first choice in all likelihood, but he is as solid as half the other chumps we have back there, cost us less, has lower wages and counts towards our home-grown quota.

Were they no quotas, I'd give your view more credence, but we've already seen City & Utd and previously Chelsea spunk fortunes on reserves homegrown players out of desperation. We've lost a lot of British kids in recent years, so we need to keep the ones we have for the moment. If the next wave comes through and makes them redundant, great, but you can't operate in isolation from the rules.

That's a fair point. My point was more about this fascination with having loads of home grown youth players in the starting line up just because they're from the academy. In recent times, I can only think of Barcelona that have had 5 plus academy players in their starting line up that have been successful. In the long run, I can see Saka being a first team player from the acadamy, with Willock and Eddie useful squad players.

The only criteria should be if you're good enough to play for the club. I feel people have given the likes of Holding/Chambers the benefit of the doubt because they came to the club at a young age and are English. They're not good enough and should have been used to raise money for the club. I feel the same about Nelson/Mavropanos.
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
Chambers has impressed on loan if I remember correctly and he was looking ok before his latest set back.
Injury is what done him in really, rather than his ability I think.

Thank God for Saka and Martinelli though.

Youth is a bit overrated though for sure, unless we’re strictly talking about resale value.
 
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