Wenger takes steps to expand German scouting network
Arsenal are set to expand their scouting network in Germany in an attempt to lure the next crop of talented youngsters to the Emirates.
With the country having produced some of the most skillful and coveted players of recent years not to mention Wenger’s reputation for developing players the club and chief scout Steve Rowley have been spending an increasing amount of time and money in order to further expand the scouting network.
The Daily Mail claim that the plans will be implemented soon, noting that “the Gunners have already found the country a valuable breeding ground for talent,” with Podolski, Mertesacker and youngsters Thomas Eisfeld and Serge Gnabry also at the club. Wenger is a known fan of other German internationals having monitored many of the current German crop including Ozil and Sahin extensively before missing out on their signatures.
With Podolski already making waves in the Premier League, Serge Gnabry is hot on his fellow countryman’s heels with the 17 year old set to make an appearance during the Capitol One Cup match on Tuesday night, with the player himself looking to build on his growing reputation, confiding “I hope I can create some chances of score goals and that will give them more to talk about.”
The Gunners will however be without Gervinho, who is set to miss the weekend showdown with Manchester United after being ruled out with an ankle injury sustained in the previous game against QPR with the Mirror reporting that a second string will be fielded in the Capital One Cup with “Oxlade-Chamberlain unlikely to be risked even if he is fit.”
October 30th, 2012
About time too. Over the years we have recruited too many Latins and too few Germanics. Yes their personalities are stereotyped but accurately so.
October 30th, 2012
Seriously one is born every minute & this “Sports Journalism” racket truly is money for old rope !
Are we seriously to believe that Arsenal , now in their 2′nd century of existence are only coming to the conclusion that the far flung only recently discovered new country called Germany might be a good place to send a scout or two ?
The same Germany who has contested 7 World Cup finals ?
The Same Germany who has contested 6 European Championship finals ?
The same Germany whos clubs have won 6 Champions Leagues , 6 Europa Leagues , 5 Cup Winners Cups & 9 Intertoto Cups ?
The same Germany who has produced iconic legends of the game & the very best European players of their generations if not all time like Beckenbauer , Gerd Muller , Karl-Heinz Rummenigge , Pierre Littbarski , Lothar Matthaus , Rudi Voller , Bodo Illgner , Andreas Brehme , Jurgen Kohler , Jurgen Klinsmann , Andreas Moller , Stefan Effenberg , Matthias Sammer , Oliver Kahn , Markus Babbel , Christian Ziege , Oliver Bierhoff . Jens Lehmann & Michael Ballack ?
Never mind its current crop of players established as among the very finest in Europe like Philipp Lahm , probably the most consistently outstanding RB in the world this past 4 seasons ,
Im sure even Arsenal are starting to realise that Per Mertesacker ,
& Lukas Podolski are probably two of the most under rated players in World Football today with Podolski in particular being genuine world class & when played regularly as a central striker instead of on the left he is arguably a better striker than the also excellent Van Persie , If it wasnt for the emergence of Mario Gomez I have little doubt that Podolski would be chasing 100 international goals for Germany .
Manuel Neuer is 2‘nd in the world only to Iker Casillas who is the very best keeper I have ever seen .
Bastian Schweinsteiger & Mesut Ozil are two of the very best Central midfielders anywhere in the world right now .
The evergreen Miroslav Klose is still regularly scoring for club & country at a phenomenal rate & he remains probably the most consistent “Big Game” striker in the world , almost a cast iron guarantee to score the opener , equaliser or winner in each & every Semifinal & Final he appears in .
As for emerging talent Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Gotze & Marco Reus are two of the most dangerous young attackers in the world right now & the same can be said for Bayern Munich’s sublime Toni Kroos . Bayern also have the tactically excellent , industrious & versatile Thomas Muller developing into a fine player & the heart , commitment , tactical excellence & versatility of Holger Badstuber who would run through a brick wall & sweat blood for club & country .
With the exception of Klose the majority of those players arent even in their prime yet with only Podolski , Gomez , Lahm & Schweinsteiger approaching theirs .
The rest are under 25 & are still developing .
I don’t know what penny pinching , cheapskate Arsenal could hope to find there apart from the players snubbed by Germany’s biggest clubs & either playing amateur or in the lower professional leagues there .
Perhaps they are scouting older professionals toward the end of their contracts who have absolutely no ambition of winning anything but fancy the experience of living in London for a few well paid seasons ?
What else could they hope to find ?
Or are they trying to say that Germany is some kind of unprofessional , untapped , impoverished footballing backwater ripe with magically gifted but moronic people who never had to work hard to develop their skills at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds per player to the very best clubs in Europe under the very best coaches in the world ?
If so it is clear to see that obnoxious arrogance & delusion is far from dead in Engerlund & that they are still enjoying the taste of their own conceited A$$ cracks !
October 31st, 2012
“With Podolski already making waves in the Premier League, Serge Gnabry is hot on his fellow countryman’s heels.”
Um … Podolski is Polish and Serge Gnabry is German, so how is he a fellow countryman? Podolski is a Polish guy playing for the German National team.