Do Arsenal still “make stars” or buy them?

‘We don’t buy stars, we make them’ by AH

The title is a banner and motto that is often heard at the Emirates and the surroundings of all things Arsenal, however how true is that statement in reality?

Arsene Wenger has always been keen on promoting youth from the younger ranks at Arsenal, but how many go on to actually make it at Arsenal?

Isaac Hayden, who came up through the Arsenal youth ranks, made his debut for the club in 2013, but went on to make just two league cup appearances before being shipped out on loan. Eventually he found his way out of the club on a permanent basis, having signed for Newcastle United today in a reported five year deal.

Hayden mentioned in his interview upon signing for Newcastle, that although he was grateful for the experience he attained from Arsenal, it was time for him to move on and find regular football. Arsenal was previously well known for giving many young players a chance in the first team, but is Hayden a pure example that perhaps that statement isn’t so true anymore?

When Cesc Fabregas broke onto the scene it certainly was the truth and when he was a young but well experienced player at Arsenal, he was surrounded by other young Gunners. The team struggled however and was largely unsuccessful, which is perhaps why Wenger is now slightly less cautious towards integrating youth into the first team on a regular basis. The likes of Fran Merida, Sanchez Watt and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas all come to mind in players who just didn’t make it despite there being a lot of promise surrounding them. In more recent years we have only really seen Jack Wilshere and, last season, Alex Iwobi move through the ranks to make an impact in the first team. What’s happened to Toral, Akpom and Gnabry?

Do Arsenal really ‘make’ stars anymore?

By AH

24 Comments

  1. We don’t make many stars and don’t buy many stars

    Our academy is one of the best in the League with Southampton and Spurs
    Coquelin, Bellerin, Fabregas

    We buy one star a year. Not enough
    1. Cech 2015
    2. Alexis 2014
    3, Ozil 2013

    1. Its best not to rely on Academy players and sign Top players

      Janssen is undergoing a medical at Spurs
      Next they are after Gotze

      United signed Ibrahimovich and Mktharyan
      They are getting close to Pogba
      (Juventus have today offered him £130,000 per week- United can do better)

      We need to step up and sign some big players pretty quickly

      1. You’ve just said it yourself Arsenal sign one star player a year,Xhaka is that player this year I don’t know why some Arsenal fans pretend to not know what kind of manager Wenger is well let me remind you this is the guy who only made one goalkeeper signing in the summer of 2015,this is a manager who signed Kim Kallstrom a CM in the 2014 January window when we were leading the league and needed a striker,Wenger has made so many blunders in transfer windows I just don’t get where this belief in him comes from!..

    2. Sadly we buy a couple stars and leave them frustrated struggling and they often leave. The players and fans are frustrated. So recruiting players is hard. What top class wants to come here over the other top clubs with top managers. I will change my mind if we buy top class this summer to support our stars. Otherwise they will struggle and leave.

  2. These are not the best of times to make stars(wholly and solely) or experiment on em……. Buy these effing stars and start shinning already

    for best results, let there be an equilibrium between stars made and stars bought

  3. Wenger nowadays he make the one top top players and buy the lamp posts ….SO SAD, WHERE IS WENGERS? Start purchases NOW!!!!

  4. Don’t know about you guys, but for me, an academy player is someone we bring all the way through from a very young age, like Wilshere or Iwobi. That means there’s only two examples – Wilshere and Iwobi. That really isn’t a good success rate, especially given that neither have been able to fully establish themselves in a starting position in the team yet, but they both look capable of it.

    We’re pretty good a nicking other clubs’ top youngsters and training them up though, Ramsey and Bellerin being the standouts in recent years.

    Tottenham recently having big success with Harry Kane and Delle Alli of course puts a bad light on Arsenal, but compared to other big clubs, we have a pretty good record.

    1. Delle Alli was produced by MK Dons not Spurs but I see the point you trying to make,Ramsey is from Cardiff,Bellerin is from Barcelona,Fabregas is from Barcelona so Arsenal didn’t produce them but they made them into stars because that’s where they got the chance to show their true talents!

  5. Sooooo what are the chances that Southampton gets Walcott now that they’ve sold Mane and Pellé? Hehehe

    1. Walcott is on 140K wages a week which he doesn’t deserve so there’s zero chance of him going to Southampton,our best shot of getting rid of Theo is if the chinese clubs put in a bid they would be the only teams besides Arsenal foolish enough to pay him that sort of money!

  6. and i’m hearing rumours of Arsenal preparing a bid of £85mil for Griezmann

    how true?….how wonderful!

    Then i remembered me crying for wenger to sign griezmann and Aubameyang …..Looooooong before the Euros and window

    Now we are here!!!

    1. @SoOpa AeoN

      Yeah, some random french player from Ligue 2 called Henri Griezmann, for £8.5mil! It would be a classic Wenger signing. Haha

      1. Antoine Griezmann’s brother THEO actually plays in the lower Portuguese leagues LOL

        1. Nah. AW’s playing it shrewd and holding onto his cheque book until Yaya Greizmann hits the market.

  7. Gone are the days of arsenal making stars, we’re in the era of spending and arsenal shouldn’t be exempted in spending if we must be contender among others! After all, arsenal isn’t a poor club, it’s Wenger who makes it generally looks as if arsenal is an empty club in terms of spending BIG for top players…

  8. Making stars like Walcott, Ox and Wlshere players who have failed to improve I mean Walcott has been here 10 years and he is still plays like a player thrown into the first team in short notice.

    1. I know I’m in the minority and I completely understand why but I’m expecting a big year from Walcott this year – closer to his 20 odd goal and 17 assist season than the last few injury interrupted campaigns. Missing the Euros will be the best thing that has happened to him.

  9. Kind of both but also kind of neither! Not sure the club has a handle on what it’s strategy is clearly at all.

  10. Its difficult to develop players for the first team, these days with so many big money involve in teams, who demand success immediately, the days of nurturing talents are left to the lesser teams, while the big teams buy the finish product or the close to finish product.

    The majority of big teams squad are mad up of individuals bought from lower teams, just check any of the top teams for proof, the Barcelona, Bayern munich, real madrid juventus and others take a look at their starting 11 and that should give u the answer

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