Quincy Abeyie wrote:Bryant wrote:It looks like he watched a lot of Neymar.
You say that like it's a bad thing that he's trying to learn from one of the best players in the world.
sorry about that
Youth team development
5 days later
Dortmund have made this kid an offer. Presume he'll stay in england the money is to good to leave.
It seems he is close to coming here, doubt we'd give him the 30k/week City have offered him but probably parity with Reiss Nelson at about 15k/week. Dortmund would no doubt offer him that too, but he's a London boy that reportedly wants to be close to his family again.
4 days later
https://www.arsenal.com/news/emile-smith-rowe-signs-professional-contract
Emile Smith-Rowe has signed his first professional contract with Arsenal. He's a huge talent in my opinion. Last season he featured for the U23s as a 16 year old and I've seen enough to know he's got a fantastic mix of pace, power, intelligence and technical ability. Very interested to see how he develops over the coming season. After Reiss Nelson, Smith-Rowe and Trae Coyle are, for me, the biggest talents at the club. Hopefully we get the latter tied down when he turns 17 in January.
The Telegraph claim Jadon Sancho has failed to turn up to training "on several occasions" dismayed at being left out of the Man City squad to travel to the US.
It doesn't really surprise me, if it's true of course. He seems to me to have that kind of attitude about him. I'd actually go as far as saying that he could really do a lot of worse at this point in his development, both as a player and as a person, than having a man and coach like Wenger to learn from. Although he's absurdly talented, he could still go either way, in my opinion. The choice he makes next is crucial.
If he's that disillusioned what's he waiting for? Noticed the other day that Nelson has a picture of Sancho and himself as his twitter profile pic.
From what I can gather Reiss and he are either related or their families are very close with one another.
The delay I would imagine is down to the kid having a lot of offers to consider - reports today suggest United have thrown the kitchen sink at him as well.
I would guess he's close to leaving now given stories like the Telegraph article I've linked to above are beginning to surface. There's a line from the reporter about City questioning his decision making on the ball, the whole thing sounds like it's been fed to him from City's PR department, but that line in particular is tell tale.
As far as I'm aware, it's not a difficult or protracted process once a player on a scholarship contract - which is Sancho's situation - decides he wants to leave. The player informs the club and the FA and if a compensation package can't be agreed - and it almost always isn't - then the player signs for the the new club there and then and said club agrees to pay whatever sum the FA decides is fair compensation for the old club.
Wonder if Wenger would accept such a player. He took on RVP but back then the problem was with temperament, not turning up to training.
Ricky1985 wrote:https://www.arsenal.com/news/emile-smith-rowe-signs-professional-contract
Emile Smith-Rowe has signed his first professional contract with Arsenal. He's a huge talent in my opinion. Last season he featured for the U23s as a 16 year old and I've seen enough to know he's got a fantastic mix of pace, power, intelligence and technical ability. Very interested to see how he develops over the coming season. After Reiss Nelson, Smith-Rowe and Trae Coyle are, for me, the biggest talents at the club. Hopefully we get the latter tied down when he turns 17 in January.
Sounds promising Ricky. Needs to sort his hair out though. What is that? Some kind of reverse mullet?
As I age and the hair on my head becomes sparser, I tend now not to see any hair style as bad!
Looks like the kind of kid whose mum would walk in on him whilst he's performing "dead man's hand"
Ricks you going slap'ead?
Let's just say it's not as thick as it used to be. 
Jadon Sancho has returned to London and has no intention of going back to Manchester. The article ends by saying that Sancho is now waiting on City to release him from his scholarship contract, so they evidently still have some power. Although I am 100% sure they can't prevent him leaving, he'll just have to go the route of notifying the FA he wants to terminate his contract and then they'll decide on a compensation fee to be paid by the club he signs for. Which will be Arsenal hopefully.
Also read he was pencilled in for the US tour but City basically said sign or you don't go at the last minute! I'm not saying Sancho comes across like an angel - he's a cocky little git - but City are no doubt utter wankers when they can't get their own way, so I don't hold all this against him.
banduan wrote:Wonder if Wenger would accept such a player. He took on RVP but back then the problem was with temperament, not turning up to training.
Everything I've heard previously about Sancho has shown a kid that, might be a bit cocky, but works his balls off on the training ground and is extremely serious about his development. And City have no class whatsoever, that's been well established, and they really rated this kid so they're probably hugely pissed off about it.
Mavdidi's gone to Preston for the season. Is he any good?
The new akpom
Irish gunner wrote:Mavdidi's gone to Preston for the season. Is he any good?
He's more than decent. A good all rounder: scores goals, all different kinds, good general technique, very quick and powerful - at least 6 foot tall and strong - and he works his balls off up front.
He really started to dominate at U23 level last season - and yet I still didn't really fancy him, although his stock rose significantly - then he went on loan to Charlton last January and he was MotM on his first three professional matches. Outrageous dribbling, carrying it from one end of the pitch to the other, wreaking havoc generally.
Then he tore his hamstring in the 5th game. Charlton's medics said it was one of the worst hamstring tears they'd ever seen. The Charlton manager said he took full responsibility because he knew he should have rested him but he was performing too well and he took a risk that he shouldn't have.
He has had a full pre-season and looks like he has come back stronger than ever.
I personally don't think he's enough of a goalscorer to make it at Arsenal but this loan will show that one way or another. I do think he'll have a very good loan regardless and be one of their best players, the way he took to proper football last season surprised me, but he needs to bang them in if he gets a consistent run in the team up front, if he is to make it here.
5 days later
Looks like Sancho is joining a London team, and Nelson has asked him to come to Arsenal.