On Friday, Robert Pires urged Arsene Wenger to go out and sign more English players. This is how the former Gunner believes the club will move forward.
Our side currently boasts five English players, three of which are main fixtures in the starting line-up, and this as a Gooner is great to see.
However, many will state, including Pires, that the current English crop in our squad do not possess a lot of experience, and the former France international believes we should invest in proven English players instead.
The 39-year-old was quoted in the Metro saying:
‘The difference between Arsenal today and my generation is that we had a backbone of English players.
‘The club has some very good [English] youngsters now but they lack experience.
‘The only solution for Arsenal is to buy some more English players.’
While many would agree with the ex-Arsenal winger that we should look to recruit experienced English players, I ask those fans – who do we attempt to sign?
I agree we may need to add some experience into the side over the summer, but seasoned English players, unfortunately, isn’t the way to go. Who do we go for? Frank Lampard? Joleon Lescott? James Milner? It’s all good saying we need to add more English players into our side, but who the hell do you try and sign. In addition, English players are not all that anyway.
Having looked at the current England national side, they all pretty much play for the top six teams in the Premier League, limiting our chances of even considering a move for any.
If Arsenal want to progress, then I firmly believe they need to continue to do what they are currently doing – looking for the next big thing – and, subsequently, splash some cash and bring in a few world-beaters, not recruit ageing English stars.
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Worked well for Liverpool…
Yeah 40 years ago it did
Exactly the point I’ve been making for years, ever since we lost that English core.
Once established, only Utd, City and Chelsea can afford them. When young, they’re still massively overpriced, and again, that’s if the ‘other 3’ don’t start a bidding war.
Realistically, all we can do is try to bring through our own or grab them before their potential is apparent to everyone.
I agree that we need world class players, but would argue that age is irrelevant. The only proviso is that they are good enough to make an impact now, not after 2+ years of development.
But the only British players who contributed massively to our best ever season were Campbell and Cole – these were core players. Apart from that Parlour played a massive part without really being a “core” player, and Keown, as great as he was when he did play, had to be brought on in the final game just to get his medal! (The last thing I mean to do is put Keown down btw, he’s an absolute legend in my book, but he was getting on at this point and while he was an important member of the squad was nothing like a major player in that season).
Aside from Cole and Campbell, all of the other “core” players were foreign, and had we replaced Cole with Roberto Carlos and Campbell with Cannavaro or whoever, it wouldn’t have made a big difference. What we need is players of the right mentality, not simply British ones.
(To be honest, if asked to list the core of that team, I would have said Lehmann, Campbell, Vieira, Pires and Henry – without a doubt these were the players who were most important to what the team achieved).
Argh which shows you started supporting AFC in the 2000’s or after 2002. Dixon Bould Adams Winterburn Keown Parlour Merson Wright were core players with petitt overmars and vieira joining and winning AWs first double in just a year after his appointment.