Carlos Vela was signed by Arsenal from his native
Mexico
That’s the view of Sunderland manager Roy Keane, who
believes the large sums Arsenal spend on young players is too often
overlooked. “You go on about the kids coming through, but a lot of
them have been bought from other clubs,” said Keane.
“A lot of these kids haven’t come through the academy at
Arsenal, they’ve been bought. “We have to watch who’s coming to
watch our youth team because we’ve had people coming along who
should not be there, scouts from other clubs.”
An Arsenal team with an average age of 19 defeated Sheffield
United 6-0 in the Carling Cup last month. Mexican 18-year-old
Carlos Vela scored four goals while Arsenal also included young
players from Poland, Cameroon, Spain and Ivory Coast.
Aaron Ramsey, 17, was signed from Cardiff for £5 million, while
London-born players like Jack Wilshere and Gavin Hoyte have come
through the club’s youth system.
“That game made me very envious,” said Keane in the
Express . “But we’ve got some decent kids here as
well. “The word on the street is that Arsenal have a group of kids
coming through that will be absolutely outstanding. Anyone who
works in youth football will tell you that.
“They buy a lot of these young players, so as much as we praise
them for bringing young kids through they’re buying them from other
clubs. “It’s the same with Chelsea and one or two clubs like that.
People would be reluctant to spend £3 million on an academy player,
but that’s what Manchester United have done, that’s what Chelsea
have done and Manchester City.
“Look at the teams in the FA Youth Cup final last year and not
many came through the ranks. Even though they get a lot of credit
for it, they’ve actually bought these players. “It’s not all bad
stuff,” continued Keane. “If someone goes on to get in the first
team who they bought from Millwall for £50,000, that money could
keep a smaller club going.”
