Arsenal or Liverpool – who represents the best move for ‘boy wonder’?
You’re 17 years-old and you’re pretty handy at this sport that they call football. You’ve been plying your trade in the lower leagues for a few months until all of a sudden you’re presented with a dilemma: Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all interested in your services and you can choose which one you’d like to join. Sounds good doesn’t it? It’s every schoolboy’s dream, but this fantasy has turned into reality for Southampton’s boy-wonder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has played only a handful of first team games for the Saints in League One, but this isn’t stopping some of the biggest teams in England lining up to offer him a contract. If this article is the first that you’ve heard of him, it certainly won’t be the last. His father, Mark Chamberlain, is a former England winger and believes that his son will be better, and has more to offer the game, than fellow Southampton graduate Theo Walcott. While you should take any father’s comments with a pinch of salt (I was a footballing world-beater too according to my dad) there seem to be many influential people who are quick to agree with him.
Nigel Atkins has been full of praise for the youngster; “Some of the things he has done are magical. When you see him running with pace and with the skill that he’s got, it’s a joy to watch”. Southampton are keen to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain at the club and carry on developing him themselves, but as the month progresses it is looking more likely that teams are willing to meet their £10 million asking price. As a move draws nearer Atkins has said that: “We would only let him go to a club that would nurture him and treat him properly”. But which would be the best club to aid his development?
The rumours which getting louder are suggesting that Arsenal are looking the most likely to secure the players’ services, and if that proves to be the case then Oxlade-Chamberlain will be in very good hands. Arsenal’s academy, headed by former Gunner Liam Brady, is widely believed to be the best in the country at developing talented, young players into established Premier League footballers. In 2009, England boss Fabio Capello said: “I’m very lucky, because I’ve had the opportunity to look at Arsenal’s academy where the England team train and their work is incredibly good. It’s a very important example for the other English academies”. Arsenal academy graduate Kieran Gibbs has also publically praised the set-up which has seen him make the step up into the Arsenal first team and even make his England debut. He said: “There is a new angle coming into the way we are taught to play, especially here at Arsenal. You always learn first how to play the game technically and the coaches and everyone else at Arsenal really help you with that. It is a good place for the young English players to learn their trade”.
The work that Arsenal have done with Theo Walcott is sure to have not gone unnoticed by Southampton, but Walcott is just the latest in a long line of established Premier League players who have come through the Arsenal academy. Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Aaron Ramsey are Arsenal youth products currently involved in their first team picture, while the likes of Sebastian Larsson, Matthew Upson, David Bentley and Ashley Cole are just a few of Arsenal’s success stories that have moved onto pastures new. Arsenal’s recent track record of bringing quality, and notably English, players through their academy is surely without equal in the Premier League, and it is this which could see them beat the Reds in landing Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Liverpool on the other hand seem to have even greater problems when it comes to youth development. In a starkly honest assessment at the end of last season, Liverpool youth coach Rodolfo Borrell deemed that the Reds’ programme for developing young players was ‘unacceptable’. He continued to say that: “The under-18s had no centre-forward, no balance, no tactical level, no understanding of the game. We are working hard, but you can’t change things overnight. I think we have made a lot of progress over eight months, but we need to improve a lot more to get more players into the first team. I think if we keep working hard maybe in two years somebody can appear in the first team”. However, the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Danny Wilson have since been added to show a dedication to developing youth and Jay Spearing was included in the starting XI on Sunday by Kenny Dalglish which shows that they have gone some way to repairing their problems.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain really does seem to have to world at his feet, and his next decision could prove to be vital. Given their track record I would say that Arsenal would do a fine job of moulding him into England’s next star, but he must be patient. Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale have proven that it can take time after a big move to become a Premier League regular. Southampton seem to have done a great job taking care of him, let’s just hope his next club can do the same, whoever they may be.
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Yes arsenal do bring youth through a bit more than liverpool have over the last several years but I believe that this young boy would get lost at arsenal with all the overseas youth players they have and he will end up like pennant I think he may be better off at liverpool were there youth set up is comming on leaps and bounds under rudolfo borrell and I believe Alex would fit in really well at liverpool I do hope he comes .
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Von Reply:
January 17th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
“this young boy would get lost with all the overseas youth players at Arsenal”.
Now, as an Arsenal fan, I take major issue with this. Let me list the English players coming through our reserves and youth team right now:
Henri Lansbury
Cedric Evina
Jay Emmanuel Thomas
Craig Eastmond
Mark Randall
Gavin Hoyte
Sanchez Watt
Kyle Bartley
Tom Cruise
Connor Henderson
Emmanuel Frimpong
Luke Freeman
Benik Afobe
Chuks Aneke
Daniel Boating
George Brislen Hall
Sean McDermott
Roarie Deacon
Martin Angha
Zack Ansah
James Campbell
Reice Charles Cook
Jamie Edge
Ben Glasgow
Nigel Neita
Josh Rees
Steven Smith
Callum Webb
Jordan Wynter
Philip Roberts
James Shea
That is 31 English players out of a set up of 35 players.
Do you research first, mate.
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Hebry Reply:
January 17th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
What rubbish!!!! Liverpool would ruin this talented player. Saying their youth set-up is improving is like saying Bolton are world beaters. The example of pennant is useless!! Pennant lost his way because he was a poor player that shouldn’t have got as far as he did in our youth ranks. Arsenal will make alex brilliant. The fact his dad has said he wants him to go there speaks volumes!!!!
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Bob Spencer Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 5:59 am
I think you’ve missed the personnel that Liverpool now has to show: two of Barcelona’s famous coaching set-up (from the past few years). These guys have been involved with training some of the best players in the Barcelona squad and even in the world over the past years, players such as Cesc, Messi, Iniesta and so on. They’re now training Liverpool’s youngsters, so don’t be so sure that they’ll be ‘ruined’.
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Ha your funny gets lost at arsenal have you not read the article properly?your academy has produced Kelly and the odd game for spearing have you ever heard of wilshire?on the scene about the same time as spearing and look at the difference in class and 1st team playing time!!
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yes i see are academy every week and we have some excellent youth coming through as for your list of english players how many will make it in to your first team ? you have been putting out sides without any english born player in your first team for seasons so what chance has this kid got you have 3 english players in your team at the moment and there in and out the team there not regulars. as for pennant you paid a lot pounds for him so if he shouldnt of been in your youth set up why did you buy him or did you ruin him . and finaly the man running out youth set up was the head of youth coaching at barcelona were he helped bring through the players who are world stars now representing barca (you will see them when they smack your arses again the champs league .)his name is rudolfo burrell so our academy set up is in good hands and the future at youth level looks fine and the reserves ant bad either
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wing Reply:
January 17th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Problem is – if you were that kid’s dad, would you be sending him to Liverpool? A club you don’t even know how long the current manager is gonna last, and no idea who will be the next manager, and how long that next manager will last. You know different manager tend to rate players differently. If he doesn’t like your face, you are doomed. So from player’s point of view, it’s always better going to a place knowing that the manager who signed you will at least still be there in the near future.
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It’s a well known fact Arsenal have got the best academy in England now. Of course, not every young players would make it at Arsenal, cos you only play 11 players on the pitch afterall. Still, those who couldn’t make it at Arsenal, because of the education they got at the club, they would still go on and make a decent career elsewhere. Another thing that gives the Arsenal youth set up an edge is, Arsene Wenger’s job is much more secured than any other Liverpool manager. As a result, AW can afford to give the youngster a chance. Whereas a Liverpool manager his first priority is to KEEP his job, would he gambles on playing inexperienced kids while putting his own career on the line?
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karl sears is he an arsenal fan ?
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Karl Sears Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Nope
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like after watching the rise of ryan babel at ajax andhis fall at liverpool, why would anyonewant to go there tolearn their trade?
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AW has not won a trophy for several years and you arsenal supporters have been screeming for his head for the last two seasons . I think that you will find that man united have had the best youth set up the proof is in there winning the premier league the fa cup the league cup the champions league with giggs , beckham, scholes, butt, g. nevel p.nevel all from there youth set up .have you done that erm dont think so
As for the managers position at liverpool this will be sorted out very soon so stability will return to the club but if you dont win anything this season your lot will be on the net and phone ins wanting AW out again .
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Sim Reply:
January 17th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Throwing the ‘Arsenal haven’t won anything for 5 years’ line can only be done by fans of teams who have won a decent trophy and not one that hasn’t won the league for about 20 years! Also how can you say Utd’s youth set up has dine anything in recent years. Of their starting line up you have Fletcher who was a youth player and Raphael who was bought in during his late teens. That does not count as recent success; Wilshere, Djourou, Szczesny and of course Fabregas, those are youth team triumphs. Utd’s recent success has been based of spending a fortune on ready made players, Rooney, Berbatov, Nani, Anderson etc.
Enjoy your relegation battle!
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Samgunz Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 1:49 am
Albey said – ‘I think that you will find that man united have had the best youth set up the proof is in there winning the premier league the fa cup the league cup the champions league with giggs , beckham, scholes, butt, g. nevel p.nevel all from there youth set up .have you done that erm dont think so’ . Ermmm actually mate, if you really wanna bring up the past, how about the league champions in 88-89 and 90-91, fa and league cup double 92-93, 93-94 european cupwinners cup? Yes Arsenal boasting Micheal Thomas, David Rocastle, Paul Davis, Tony Adams, Paul Merson, Kevin Campbell all homegrown players and this was before wengers reign so yes we have done it before and we shall do it again! plus more youth players come through after then like Ray Parlour, cashley hole, Jay Boothroyd, Jerome Thomas, David Bentley, Anthony Stokes etc etc alot of these players are obviously playing elsewhere now but all doing very well, so even if he doesnt make it at arsenal at least we are providing a decent platform for him. What happened to Lee Sharpe??
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ryan babel was in the first team at ajax and in the under 21 national team when he came to liverpool the lad has not got a brain as you can see with his £10,000 fine today . jemain pennant says it all about rise and fall of a player at arsenal you educated him from a young age and he ended up brain dead
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so babels brains dissapeared where? must have been playing with damien plesis and insua and that done it, and that bighead midget who is clearly not the new gerard
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you lot paid 7mill for penant hahahahaha, look how you even ruined el hadji diouf
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