No? A couple more are also 19 and a few more within 12 months if we're not being unnecessarily flippant.
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This is a very naive appraisal of Arsenal’s youth. They blitzed the youth league last season.
Saka is a generational talent which will be evident over the next few months, Willock is ridiculously talented + you forgot Emile Smith Rowe and Martinelli, yes he isn’t an Arsenal product but he’s also looking like a star. Edu took the Sporting director role on and made a point of bringing Martinelli with him.
I want England to do well so make a point of checking out the youth coming through and I see Greenwood being a fantastic player but not convinced about Gomes.
So, how is the Arsenal academy overrated again?
Pretty much what I'm thinking, it's glaringly obvious were missing a player who can just out their foot on the ball , keep possession and knit play, the transition from defence to midfield is good but it completely breaks down once the balls into our midfield. Pogba we know would solve the creativity and goals issue as a number 10. Can Gomes chip in defensively, I think he can I think he'd be able to Harry and recycle possession much like the Silvas at man city. Can he provide a transition from midfield to attack I think yes. Give the lad the number 8 shirt, as nobody's claiming it
With you on this.
It’s fair enough to disagree, and I certainly don’t have the final answer. I do think that a) stories like Januzaj for Moyes and Martial for Van Gaal are more exceptions than typical, and b) it didn’t necessarily benefit their development in the long run.
I think it’s a fair evaluation that with ‘sink-or-swim’-methods, 1 out of I don’t know, 100 players will grow or show rescilience enough. If they are allowed to learn under ideal conditions, a lot more will reach high levels, and the 1 out of 100 will become class also under those circumstances. If someone says ‘if you can’t handle the pressure and learn without good role models around you, you’ll never reach top class’, I think they’re wrong, and the world is full of footballers that disprove them.
Ferguson did change his tactics in that regard. We’ll see where Januzaj ends up, but I don’t think he’s had the optimal development to get the most out of his talent. I don’t claim to know the exact reasons, though, there are so many factors involved in player development.
I didn't forget Smith Rowe at all, I just know he's never been as highly regarded as Gomes. He was a good talent, which is why he was on that talented 2000 generation England team. I think it's common knowledge that everyone we're talking about is a good to great talent. What I'm doing is judging the talents within their own generation and then comparing those generations with other generations before men's football. That's why I mentioned the most highly rated Willock brother who went to Benfica, despite not kicking on as well as the only remaining Willock brother at Arsenal.
Saka could very well end up better than both Greenwood or Gomes. Doesn't mean they weren't more highly rated. The same is true of Rashford. Some rated Gribbin above Rashford, and yet Rashford could end up more successful than Greenwood, Gomes, or Gribbin. I consider Ethan Laird a bigger talent than Brandon Williams and for all we know Williams ends up the better player 5 years from now. Or another United example is Ravel Morrison and Michael Keane. Ravel was the #1 talent, yet Keane is the one regularly playing in the PL and for England.
*I don't count Martinelli as he's not part of the academy. Just like I never counted Martial for United, while I do Pogba. You have to spend time in the academy.
Its not sink or swim for Gomes to play in an under performing side where his competition for a place are the worst performing players in the league. If he does barely any better than them its not the end of the world - hes 19. He will have several seasons to prove himself provided he signs a new contract, which he may not if he sees terrible performing players picked instead of giving him the chance to do better. A comparison should be made with Andreas. He's 23 and still being given the chance to prove himself this season. Probably if he doesnt show that hes a good squad player this season thats the end of the road for him. But thats 4 or 5 years past 19 years old. We arent going to ship Gomes out if he isnt that great this season, unless he wants to leave and not sign a contract. So its anything but sink or swim.
United still have the option to extend his contract 1 year.
No we don't.
We don't, such an extension would be illegal and not enforceable even if we were dumb enough to include it.
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Would he get game time or would he just learn how to write a blog?
Great news if true, although reports not long ago said the club and Gomes weren't close to agreeing terms at all.
Great news if true.
Why would that Italian journalist know the inner thinking of an English player in Manchester?
I'd trust a Manchester based source before anyone else in this case. There'd be leaks closer to home if this was genuine.
But hopefully this guesswork is accurate anyway. I'm sure Fabrizio Romano will get loads of new followers regardless.
I'd trust a Manchester based source before anyone else in this case. There'd be leaks closer to home if this was genuine.
But hopefully this guesswork is accurate anyway. I'm sure Fabrizio Romano will get loads of new followers regardless.
Great, some good news among a lot of horrible stuff.
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Thank feck.
Thank feck if true. One good news, they are pretty rare nowadays.
Well done Ed
Just as I said when everyone was having a collective aneurysm in the first 50 pages. Honestly, a little common sense was needed, but then can't say I'm surprised...
Common sense also says we could have cocked it up just like other clubs have very recently
Hope that's true and we see a bit more of him. Though so far, Ole seems to prefer Chong for some reason, and he looks much further away to being first team ready than Gomes does IMO.
Common sense and the Caf, Oxymoron if ever there was one!
I think it's a justified worry with the history we have in dealing with contracts.
No point in playing Gomes and just draw attention to his ability when he can be snapped up cheap. The club are probably walking a fine line between keeping him happy and doing what's best for his development too.
If Gomes signed I'd be thrilled, nearly all of our highly rated youth players signed to new long term contracts.
Angel Gomes, Mason Greenwood, Tahit Chong should all be out on loan, even in lower divisions and playing week in week out. What we are doing with them is wasting their time and also our own chances to do well in the league and Europa with relying on them.
Our squad is small enough without loaning out 3 players who are all going to get minutes especially as we are still in the Europa League.
He should definitely be on the panel before Mata and probably a few others. Don't know why he is not even on the bench lately. Maybe it's about his contract,with Barca sniffing around. But heard he was being offer a new one.
I'd beleive Romano over the vast majority of local journalists.
He's a bullshitter about anything other than Italian news.
I like Gomes and think he's really talented but seriously, he's extremely weak physically. People keep comparing him to David Silva and whatever but did you guys watch him play when he was younger? Way more balanced and never looked quite as small as Gomes does.
I don't think he'll be ready for PL football maybe ever but for his own sake he should go to Spain and play for a bottom or 2nd division team and grow mentally and physically because he won't make it here at this rate.
James is also a small player and has a small frame but makes up for it with his pace and agility.
Gomes on the other hand isn't even that quick off the mark and doesn't seem to ride challenges well which should be his number 1 skill considering his physical profile and look at Mata since he lost his pace and quick feet - almost totally useless despite incredible footy iq, movement and technique.
Despite being far less talented, Chong has a better chance of making it simply thanks to his size and pace.
I don't think he'll be ready for PL football maybe ever but for his own sake he should go to Spain and play for a bottom or 2nd division team and grow mentally and physically because he won't make it here at this rate.
James is also a small player and has a small frame but makes up for it with his pace and agility.
Gomes on the other hand isn't even that quick off the mark and doesn't seem to ride challenges well which should be his number 1 skill considering his physical profile and look at Mata since he lost his pace and quick feet - almost totally useless despite incredible footy iq, movement and technique.
Despite being far less talented, Chong has a better chance of making it simply thanks to his size and pace.
His track record says different. We will just have to wait and see who is proven right.
He isn't. He is reliable for PL news too.
The proof was there in the summer. He was shown to be making stuff up about United over and over.
If Gomes signs, it'll be a decent guess. I could do the same thing on my phone.
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Well he wasn’t. A decent guess? That’s a helluva guess to make.
And who are these Manchester based sources you speak of? Let’s put their track record under scrutiny and compare them to Romano.
Just goes to show extremely poor management. Our only real chance of Champions League next year is winning Europa Cup. And we are playing these kids there.
This is the group stage.
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