Ivan Gazidis has reasserted Arsenal’s commitment to homegrown talent by insisting the club will continue to invest millions of pounds improving coaching personnel and facilities at Academy level.
Eager to keep the club at the vanguard of youth development the Gunners have made a raft of new appointments at both Hale End and London Colney recruiting Andries Jonker to take over from Liam Brady and bolstering the scouting teams.
Speaking to Arsenal.com two days before the club’s Annual General Meeting, Gazidis underlined how continued improvements can help the Gunners maintain pace with the top clubs on the continent.
“Our youth development is going to be the foundation of this football club going forward. We’re investing millions of pounds into leadership at that level, new coaching as we go through a transition, but also in facilities.
“Hale End is our facility for nine-year-olds through to 16-year-olds on the North Circular. That place is getting totally transformed at the moment. Anyone who goes there will see what we’re doing there.
“We’re investing many million pounds into developing London Colney, our main training centre – our athletic development, our analytics, our scouting, all these things are part of making a modern football club.
“We need to make sure that we’re absolutely ahead of the curve in all of those areas. We have to find our own path and our path is going to built around how well we can develop our young players and bring them through to our first team.
“That’s always been an underlying principle of the club and that’s going to continue to be the case. The difference is that now, as we come through this era, we’re in a more powerful place to be able to add to that foundation and that’s going to be a very powerful combination.
“We’ve seen with clubs like Borussia Dortmund or Atletico Madrid that you can compete at the very top of the game and I wouldn’t be doing this job if I didn’t believe we could compete at the very top level. I know Arsène feels exactly the same way.”
In recent months ex-Gunner (and Reading and Leeds United manager) Brian McDermott and former Arsenal scout Shaun O’Connor have returned to the club to help bolster head scout Steve Rowley’s ranks. Again allowed to scout youngsters on a national level (recent rules, since relaxed, dictated players had to live within 90 minutes of a club’s stadium) it’s hoped the Gunners will be able to spot and sign the best talents from across the United Kingdom.
“We talk about the changes that are happening in youth development – one of the really important things that is happening is that the investment going into youth development across the Premier League in these new category one academies means that we’ve opened up the door for national recruitment,” said Gazidis.
“For the first time, a club like Arsenal can scout for players all around England and bring them in to our system and develop them here, which hasn’t been the case historically. That opens the door but it also opens a requirement that we’ve got to have an excellent domestic scouting system for young players to make sure we get the best young players into Arsenal.”
Of course, Arsene Wenger – a strong advocate of giving youth a chance – isn’t going to be around forever and with Manchester United struggling to emerge from the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson’s long stint in charge, Gazidis touched on the importance of a proper succession plan at the Emirates ensuring the Frenchman’s policy is continued.
“So much of the attention on a football club is around an individual and that’s very understandable at Arsenal because we have a giant who’s managing us.
“Arsène has been a fantastic driver and has put the club in a great, great position. The biggest challenge we’re going to face as a club is that, when that transition from Arsène to the next manager of our football club happens – and I don’t know when that’s going to be – that we come through that strongly.”
Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t talk about how that might happen. Mostly because nobody has any idea what might happen over the remaining three years of Wenger’s contract.
‘The future belongs to those who prepare for it today’
that sounds like a game of thrones quote!
Agree 100% (Renthlei ho hi in til a tam mange)
Nothing is going to happen till we do something about the injuries. Sacrificial rain/fire dance on the centre circle of the Emirates, as suggested on a previous article perhaps? We could sacrifice John Terry, thus killing two cunts with one stone.
‘The deeper the foundations the stronger the fortress’
I do have a lot of confidence in Gazidis. It sounds like we are doing all the right things behind the scenes… We have money now and are no longer a selling club. Everything is there for us to kick-on and join the big boys.
The next manager will be crucial. However, I do think we’ll make the right choice (Or at least not one anywhere near as bad as United did with David Moyes!)… Hopefully we can lure the likes of Klopp or Guardiola and a new legacy can begin!
Bugger that. What’s Sven Goran Erikkson up to these days?
Yeah. Let’s start by trying to keep our team fit for longer than 2 weeks, then maybe we can see about winning the top honours and being part of the ‘elite’
That would help !
I don’t know why, but I just love everything about ARSENAL!
A few reasons why that might be the case: • A club with over 125 years of history • The only club/one of the few at the top flight of English football never to be relegated • Henry • We’ve attracted various visionaries in our history, from Chapman through to Wenger, and various in between • We’re the first team to play a game on TV • Bergkamp • We’re the first and only team to have an Invincibles era since the Premier League happened • We’re the only constant in Top 4 • Pires • We’re the only constant… Read more »
You forgot that TGSTEL once grazed the evergreen plains of the Emirates stadium.
excellent list, i wonder why Sp*rs fans are on here with the down votes. Better than watching that sorry lot I guess.
Also the “Our stadium is beautiful” bit reminded them of their toilet bowl.
You need to add…
-We have Arseblog.com
-Rocky
-The most successfull Woman’s football team (and Vic is still our Kit man)
-That Michael Thomas goal at Anfield
-The Romford Pele
“We have Diaby, who once kicked John Terry in his cunt-like face, and knocked him out”
Made me LOL.
I think the academy should be taken very serious now since our team is going through a lot of injury concerns….. So we are going to rely to some extent on the feeder team…… Wenger, Gazidis and Stan please do something about this injury its devastating….#straight_face
“We’ve seen with clubs like Borussia Dortmund or Atletico Madrid that you can compete at the very top of the game and I wouldn’t be doing this job if I didn’t believe we could compete at the very top level. I know Arsène feels exactly the same way.”
Interesting. Of course Borussia and Atletico have bright, innovative young managers and not a tired passed-it old fool. Tell you what, Ivan, why not try recruiting either Klopp or Simione? Isn’t that logical?
Or am I missing something?
You’re missing that Arsene Wenger shits all over both Simeone and Klopp and you are a clueless fan who doesn’t realsie the phenomenal impact Wenger has, is having, and will have on Arsenal football club.
Simone in particular is an outstanding motivator. He took his team to Stamford Bridge last year and completely out though Mourinho tactically – something Wenger has yet to do in 11 attempts.
Klopp I’m less sure of. But Simone has the ‘Clough factor’ and I can assure you on motivation and tactics, he leaves Wenger and others behind.
“You’re missing that Arsene Wenger shits all over both Simeone and Klop…” Oh, really? We are talking about the same Arsene Wenger who spent almost a decade wining nothing until Arsenal picked up a lucky FA Cup win in May, are we? During which time both Klopp and Simione reached the Champions League final and both won their respective national leagues? And which manager has spent the last four seasons unable to even get past the last sixteen of the Champions League? I’ll give you a clue: he’s French. No, my friend: both Klopp and Simione have made Wenger look… Read more »
Honestly, make sure you never celebrate an arsenal victory, you don’t deserve to, you are beyond clueless. When arsenal get back to their best by the help of our legendary manager, I hope you just crawl back in your cave and never be heard from again. However that probably wont be the case and thick twats like you will never admit they were wrong.
Arsene Wenger is not Arsenal
People like you are a waste of space. If he’s wrong. Say why he’s wrong, rather than merely resorting to infantile abuse. There is a clear case to be made for the Manager – what he did a decade ago – the financial restrictions he has operated under – the financial doping of Chelsea and City. But there’s equally a case to be made against. The fact that as Manager of Monaco he profited from the same doping and never said a word. The failure to recruit, when he has the time and the money. His loss of motivational prowess… Read more »
Which of Klopp and Simeone were in the Champions League the last eighteen season in a row? I’ll give you a hint – neither of them. Only one manager’s ever done that. Do you know who it is? I’ll give you a hint – he’s French. And even though you seem to look on being in the last 16 of the CL as something of an underachievment, can you name all of the teams who have done that (been in the last 16 of the CL) for the past 14 seasons in a row? I’ll give you a hint –… Read more »
A nice money spinners for sure.
But he’s never won it and only come close twice.
If turning up to disappear early is your ensign – Wenger’s your man.
If winning the competition is your baby, he’s not.
Switched off soon as you called the FA Cup win “lucky”.
Hardly lucky when we dug deep and came back with 3 goals to win. Granted we should never have let ourselves get into that situation, but that was hard work that won it.
To call it luck is ridiculous. It was a fair game in which Hull simply didn’t have the quality to finish their chances in the end, but we did.
Agree, let alone the teams we beat along the way to get there…
We had 4 home draws that was lucky and of the 2 games played at Wembley we didn’t win either in normal time.
It was far from convincing and the performances certainly didn’t suggest the League and Champions league were coming back to the Emirates without significant investment which wasn’t forthcoming.
I certainly don’ think we’re nearer the big prizes as a result of winning the FA Cup
Well, I guess that Cup just doesn’t count, then, eh John. Happy now?
The negativity in here is stunning. Would the doom-mongers finally feel pleased if we got relegated down to the Conference?
Gazides, please Sack Venga. He doesn’t spend the money he doesn’t have becasue he’s too busy building them stadiums and offering us spectacular football at every major competition over 20 odd years – SOO overrated. Also, it would make me feel much better if you do, Gazides; projecting my own failures and inadequacies, everyday. in front of everybody is hard work it is.
Plz plz Gazides.
You are missing everything.
Simeone: -most of athletico team isnt even own by them -he doesnt do the recruiting so you have no idea if he can do the job here of building a squad -he gets the best from a smaller squad/less money good fot him but so is Fat Sam have been doing the same for far longer with shitter team than Athletico and his team play similar football too so whay not him?? Klopp: – look like wenger on steroid and get punished every year by the german FA,how thats going to go with the turd here – has to sell… Read more »
Well, for a long time we haven’t had top talent we could lose to the “top ” teams. No disrespect to what we have but we just had good enough talent for our top four chase. Gone are the days we used to put five goals past a club like Porto. We no longer have the best stricker in the league or close to that. And that applies to the midfield too. What we have is decent enough but Madrid or Barca won’t go all out for Giroud/Ramsey /Wilshere any time soon Yes Ivan, it’s easy to see why we… Read more »
True, I can’t see Madrid or Barca buying a player like Ozil or Sanchez either.
They also have experience of selling Ozil and Sanchez
I mean ,what has Arsene ever done for us ?
The aqueduct?
ok the aquaduct . so what apart the aquaduct , whats wenger ever done for use 😀
Sanitation?
The roads?
he pushed mourinho around like a small girl
Every heart about this time Gazedis ducts off these tired old cliches and trots them out. This :- “Our youth development is going to be the foundation of this football club going forward. We’re investing millions of pounds into leadership at that level, new coaching as we go through a transition, but also in facilities.” Could have been said last year; or the year before ; or five years ago ; or ten years ago by Edleman. And indeed was said by Wenger himself, very early on in his tenure when he lamented the state of the youth set up… Read more »
Well, youth development is the club’s chosen mode of operation and has been for years. Of course it sounds repetitive but it also shows commitment to remain true to the principle. However, I don’t see the current situation as simply a repetition of the past. There is obviously a realisation that the academy has not been as effective as it could be. And there are efforts and investments and new staff appointments to change the situation. But we should also have realistic expectations for this process. I would save five years from now is the earliest that we could see… Read more »
I don’t think we can judge it by a distinct time period. It’s probably better to judge it by which of Jonkers or Brady worked more with a given player and who brought them to the club. If, say, Afobe, who’s not really impressed enough to get into the first team under Brady, manages to step it up under Jonkers, I’d be inclined to give the point to Jonkers. If one of the stars of the team (Zelalem, Akpom, Crowley, etc) make it to the first team, then I’d say point Brady, since they were already impressing under him. After… Read more »
for heart above – read ‘year’ . Sorry about that !!
so I guess “ducts off” was intentional
Yeah, so that we can sell them to Real Madrid and Barcelona when they reach their peak, lol. Will certainly generate a ‘future success’ in the eyes of the board.
Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later cause Wengers killing this club.
Anyone got a number for the Southampton youth scouts and coaches?
Is that Kim Jong Un or whatever his name is behind Arsene and Ivan in that pic?
Yes, I reckon it may well be. International press has been reporting that he has not been seen for several weeks in N Korea. However, if he has been training at AFC that would explain his next most recent photo in international press, where he is seen walking with a walking stick. Even he, the most omnipient one has fallen to the fabled AFC injury list.
At the risk of sounding like rambling Pete, AFC has been an integral part of my life for over 50 years. My dad started taking me to games when I was 8. I took my sons and my grandsons but this tradition is in danger. Why on earth when I read on the BBC website that “The cheapest season ticket at Arsenal is 99% more than the average comparable cost for the Premier League of £509.” would I not feel ripped off. I want to see my team trying. And I’m sick of reading the lame excuses rolled out after… Read more »
Ivan gazidis what the fuck do you do,?? #pricedoutofthegame #myclubsjustacashcow.
All you internet non attending “fans” need to wise up. Highest priced tickets in europe? make that the world then!. Fatgooner knows. In arsene we rust.
Joel Campbell cannot even get a kick on