Former Manchester United keeper talks about the Gunners
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar believes Arsenal have become a club that nurtures players for bigger sides.
“I’m not surprised that he went there”, the 42-year-old said.
“It’s a club used to winning titles and the last eight years Robin hasn’t won that much at Arsenal
“I love the style of football and even the philosophy of Wenger with the young players. We’ve got a similar feeling at Ajax.
“They need to go abroad to a bigger league and this has happened at Arsenal also over the last couple of years. A lot of players went and became even bigger players at other clubs.”
SOURCE: BBC FOOTBALL
Van Der Sar, always the epitome of the quiet Dutchman, will cause controversy. Unfortunately, he is right. The tables have turned, and Arsenal are now the poached rather than the poachers. Years of producing bright talents from rough gems no longer bring success. The list of successes are endless; Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Kolo Toure, Ashley Cole to name a few.
Arsenal have followed the route of Ajax, for one major reason; the huge debt incurred for the building of the Emirates Stadium pushed Arsene Wenger into developing young talent, especially from 2006 onward. It is no coincidence that since the 60,000 seater stadium opened, no trophies have filled the cabinet.
The answer to changing the selling situation could lay in the Ajax model – nurturing homegrown talent as a core of team. With the news that Arsenal have tied down the futures of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain, the future looks set to be an English based one.
Finally, Arsene Wenger must make at least one major signing to stop the selling rot. Starting with Theo Walcott. Its very much Mission: Possible….
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