GAEL KAKUTA has been ordered home from Japan to explain
his part in the scandal which has rocked Stamford
Bridge.
That is the damning statistic after yet another traumatic week
at Chelsea. This is Arnesen's amazing story, stripped bare as they
continue to search for a superstar.
In a week when the club have been banned by FIFA from signing
players for the next two transfer windows, Arnesen's position is
now under intense scrutiny.
This is the first examination of the former Denmark
international's transfer dealings, stripping this multi-million
pound Cobham talent factory bare.
It is the story of Franco Di Santo, signed from Chilean team
Audax for a mind-boggling £3m and then loaned to Blackburn.
Or of Slobodan Rajkovic, bought from OFK Belgrade two years ago
for £3.8m and now on loan with Steve McClaren's FC Twente.
Some, such as Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo, were signed in a
blaze of publicity, arriving from Leeds for combined fees of
£4m.
Arnesen - recently promoted to the role of sporting director -
has squandered fortunes on transfer fees and payments to agents in
search of a star.
Amazingly, our figures do not include the vast sums paid to
agents to bring these young kids to the club.
Abramovich bought up huge plots of land in Cobham to build one
of the world's best football academies when he bought the club in
2003.
He also bought Chelsea Lodge, keeping the players under one roof
as they moulded them for a future alongside John Terry, Frank
Lampard and Didier Drogba. The training ground, which is housed
next to the first-team facilities, was supposed to be a production
line of talent equipped to play in the Champions League.
Instead it is a story of failed footballers, many of whom have
left Chelsea after failing to make the grade.
Arnesen was brought in from Spurs to oversee the ambitious
operation, identifying top talent across the world and then turning
them into first-team players. Abramovich forked out £5m in
compensation to bring Arnesen across London, signing the cheque in
the summer of 2005 for the best man in the business.
He has paid him handsomely - about £2m a year - as Chelsea
attempt to replicate the success story at Manchester United,
Manchester City and Arsenal.
Chelsea's owner wanted a homegrown player, another John Terry,
to fire the dreams of their 40,000-plus supporters. Now the whole
project is under the microscope, with questions asked of Arnesen's
role in the acquisition of players scooped up from all over the
world. Incredibly, Chelsea have not produced a first-team regular
since John Terry emerged from the ranks - 11 years ago. Arnesen has
spent jaw-dropping sums signing players from south London to
Serbia, setting a deadline of 2010 for one of them to push for a
first-team spot.
Chief executive Peter Kenyon admitted: "The academy has not
produced the results yet, but we didn't expect instant success. "It
is a long-term project and the rewards will come, we are sure of
that."
Back in 2005, they were convinced the former Ajax and Valencia
midfielder had the eye for talented teenagers. In 2007 construction
finished on the £10m academy in Cobham, which is the envy of world
football, with another £3m a year poured in for running costs. With
a cash-rich owner they aimed to clean up, beating off competition
from Arsenal and Manchester United to sign the best kids from every
corner of the globe.
They reached the FA Youth Cup final in 2008, losing to
Manchester City 4-2 over two legs. They appeared to be full of
promise, but none of the players has made the push for the first
team.
Some are kids who won Chelsea's reality TV, Fame Academy-style
programme, Football Icon, to foreign imports with transfer fees
ranging from £3m-£5m.
Arnesen was supposed to fast-track the talented teenagers
towards the first team, tweaking their game so that they could make
the transition.
That was in 2005 and four years later they are still waiting for
a first-team appearance. Taiwo, 19, went on loan to Port Vale last
season and was recently farmed out to League One Carlisle until
December.
Aliu Djalo, usually referred to by his nickname 'Kaby', was
signed from Portuguese club Boavista in a deal that could be worth
£5m.
Others, such as Vincenzo Camilleri, disappeared without trace
after signing from Reggina in a controversial move from the
Italians.
Arnesen also relied on his team of talent spotters to sign Harry
Worley, now at Leicester, and Danny Philliskirk from Oldham.
Philliskirk arrived at Chelsea as a striker, but has been
playing for the reserves in midfield and even defence as the
coaches attempt to find a winning formula.
Some believe Chelsea would be better off abandoning the academy
and spending £50m on the finished article.
Instead of Franck Ribery though, it's a fiasco.
GAEL KAKUTA has been ordered home from Japan to explain
his part in the scandal which has rocked Stamford
Bridge.
The youngster flew out to the Far East on Wednesday to play in
an Under-19 tournament for France.
But as soon as he landed in Japan on Thursday, Chelsea demanded
he make the gruelling 16-hour flight back to London.
Club chiefs, desperate to mount a defence and overturn the
transfer ban imposed by FIFA, wanted a full explanation of all the
events surrounding Kakuta's controversial move from Lens.
While his future at the Bridge is not in doubt, Chelsea are
anxious to get their facts straight before launching a
counter-attack.
And Kakuta's evidence is vital.
The 18-year-old has always insisted he was not tapped up by then
academy chief Frank Arnesen - even though FIFA's damning verdict
came down on the side of Lens. The French club had claimed Chelsea
'induced' Kakuta to break his contract.
FIFA suspended Kakuta for four months and ordered him and
Chelsea jointly to pay compensation of £680,000.
The Blues also have to fork out another £115,000 in training
compensation to Lens.
Billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has made it clear to Chelsea
officials he wants a thorough investigation before deciding on the
club's next course of action.
The Russian knows he cannot afford a false move with FIFA
looking to play hard-ball over the trafficking of foreign
youngsters.
Despite being under the fiercest scrutiny, controversial Dane
Arnesen has been assured his new position as Chelsea's sporting
director is secure.
THE Dane at the centre of the Chelsea poaching storm has
courted controversy since arriving in 2005, when Tottenham claimed
he was approached illegally. The Blues ended up paying £5million
compensation.
2006: Chelsea accused of tapping-up Leeds' Michael Woods and Tom
Taiwo. Pay £5m out of court.
2006: Arnesen (right) secretly filmed by the BBC offering
£150,000 to Nathan Porritt, 15. The player was attached to
Middlesbrough.
2007: Relationship with manager Jose Mourinho breaks down and is
reportedly close to leaving Stamford Bridge. Instead, Mourinho
leaves in September.
2008: Reggina report Chelsea to Italian FA, claiming contact
with Vincenzo Camilleri before he was 16.
2009: Arnesen promoted to role of sporting director at Stamford
Bridge.
