Wenger may rethink loan policy

Arsene Wenger may not consider sending Arsenal youngsters out on loan again if they fail to be given enough first-team experience.

Wenger: Wants youngsters to get experience
Wenger: Wants youngsters to get experience

The Gunners boss is likely to include Kieran Gibbs and Mark Randall in the squad for the final Premier League game of the season at Sunderland on Sunday.

The duo have just returned from spells in the Championship, Gibbs at Norwich and Randall with Burnley.

However, both players were only used sparingly - Gibbs making a total of seven appearances for the Canaries and Randall utilised more as a substitute, only gaining two starts.

Wenger, though, feels each will have learned from the experience and should feature more around the Arsenal first team next season.

"Now they need now to show they are good enough," he said.

"They have, like everybody, to fight to play, and if they are good enough they play. It's as simple as that.

"They didn't play a lot and that's why it's sometimes disappointing you give them up to Championship teams and they don't play.

"(If) you want to play for Arsenal, you have at least to play in the Championship. When you go somewhere and you are on the bench, you cannot come back and say 'I have to play for Arsenal', because if you don't play in the Championship team it's difficult.

"For me it's very important to get them out and to see them play."

Wenger added: "For us it's part of education, to have a period of your life to play in a team who has responsibilities and to be under pressure and show how well you can do in the Championship.

"So it's just to get you used to realising that life is not as easy as it looks in the football world."

Wenger has plenty of English talent lower down the Arsenal ranks, and hopes they will soon all be in the first-team picture.

"It's fantastic because there is guaranteed stability when you have English players coming through. If I can bring a few through I will be

very happy," he said.

"Gibbs, Jack Wiltshire, Henri Lansbury, all might be included in the group next year. There is a core coming up, but I cannot tell you now whether all of them will make it."

Wenger added: "I feel we have produced many good players English players and many of them play in other clubs.

"We have produced plenty, more than anybody else in England, but not enough for us."

Bet with SkyBet
 
Apply now for the Arsenal Rewards Credit Card

Your Comments

bergkamp71 (Arsenal fan)

"You're right Jono. Without WH's youth policy England would be in even more of a state than it is now, which isn't worth thinking about. However, even man united now have had to rely on foregn talent to secure success. I do admire the hammers and AV's English spine and think it helps the national game. Can't help but thinking they'll need to spend big at some point if they want to crack the big boys though. As do the gunners come to the point.."

jono36 (Aston Villa fan)

"Liam Brady has done a great job with the Arsenal youths, I would not get into whether its a better setup than Villa or not, we obviously offer youth a bigger opportunity to play EPL games but what I will say is no team has a patch on West Hams youth development. The players that have come out of there the last 10 or so years, Defoe, Cole, Lampard, Glen Johnson, Noble, Carrick etc. It has slowed down the past few years but definately cannot be touched by any team other than UTD's 90's graduates. "

bergkamp71 (Arsenal fan)

"Capello's first England team selection had more Arsenal youth products than any other team, namely Ashley Cole, Upson and Bentley. It shows that while not many England youngsters make it through Arsenal's system, the ones that do are quality. The youth system is the whole reason why Arsenal can compete with the top four on a limited budget. True AV have Barry and Agbon, but Carson and Young came from elsewhere and the rest are nowhere near the same quality."

All comments on this story

The Arsenal Your Say main page
The Norwich City Your Say main page
The Burnley Your Say main page
The General Your Say main page

Character Count : 0/1900





Team News:

singhrn (Arsenal) : "...Redbilly - take yourself back four years. Arsenal won the league with a tally of 90 points we had the best player in the world. We also had the best winger, left back, defensive midfielder and bergkamp. Add to that a top class goalkeeper and two fant..."   view full comment

   

Paper Talk: Tigers target Samaras

Hull are set to make a shock bid for Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras and Chelsea have launched a £12million raid for Andrei Arshavin.

More from today's press

Good chance for Ray to make amends

TEAMtalk believes it makes a refreshing change to see a manager spared the axe after the FFF opted to retain Raymond Domenech's services.

Read today's Column

spursmundo (Tottenham Hotspur) : "...A friend of mine at work has told me today she saw Eto'o jumping out of car yesterday (number plate Eto'o) and going into a West London hotel. Off to Chelski? I don't post on here normally, not interested! But I thought you might want to know? IT WAS..."   view full rumour

   
Related Team Pages
Related Players

Don't miss these

LATEST PHOTOS FOOTY QUIZ WALLPAPERS
Spain coach Luis Aragones and captain Iker Casillas step off the plane clutching the trophy.
Image Image
Go to the Gallery Can you answer
all 10?
Download Wallpaper
 More Stories

Top Searches