Arsene Wenger is well known for developing young players, and it appears that the Arsenal manager himself is more than aware of the quality with which he does it. In a recent interview, Wenger was quoted in the Telegraph as stating,
“The most difficult thing is to play them (young players) and to stand up for it, and nobody in the world does this as much as me. One day I’ll give you the list of those at the top-level who have made careers with me and you will see. You will be absolutely astonished.”
Asked if he did this more than any other manager, Wenger responded,
“Of course. How do I know? Take the list of players who started here. If you go back it’s unbelievable.”
Not many would dispute that Wenger has a penchant for nurturing young players and turning them into top class talent, but can he legimately lay claim to be the world’s best?
The list of players who have made it at Arsenal from youth since Wenger has been at the club is an impressive one. Ashley Cole, Alex Song, Abou Diaby, Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas and now Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere have all had much of their football education at Arsenal, and have all made it to the top level of the game. It is what Wenger prides himself on, and it is major plus of his management at a club, at his previous club Monaco, the Frenchman also saw the development of stars such as Emmanuel Petit, Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry.
Some have countered however, that Arsene Wenger’s reputation as a great developer of talent is undeserved. They argue that the majority of the young players that have made it under him were brought in from other clubs, and that Wenger’s role in their process of maturing is not what he claims it to be. Certainly Fabregas, Alex Song, Diaby and Clichy for instance were not part of the Arsenal youth system, but there is also no doubt that Wenger played a major role in the crucial years in their nascent careers which made them who they are today. It is a point that has some weight, but it ignores the the good work Wenger has done with these players, which in my view would be a mistake.
Over the question of whether Wenger the best developer of talent, some other managers might believe themselves to be right near the top. Chief among them would be Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scot saw the emergence of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Gary Neville who all became club legends, during his watch at Old Trafford. In other countries it has been more systems than individual managers that have developed excellent young players, if one thinks of the Ajax and Barcelona academies for instance. Managers in the top jobs on the continent do not tend to keep their jobs for any great length of time, so for a decade or so at least, Wenger could make a valid claim in this regard.
Although Sir Alex Ferguson would have something to say about Arsene Wenger’s rather bold claims, the Frenchman is not completely off the mark in his claim that he is the number one developer of talent in the game. The roll-call of youngsters he has seen grow up and turn into quality players is highly impressive, and whilst it would be short-sighted of me to definitively say he is the best, he is certainly not far away from the top.
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