Former Arsenal academy boss Andries Jonker warns youngsters to stay away from joining Premier League teams

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Bengaluru, January 29: Former Arsenal academy director Andries Jonker has warned talented youngsters to avoid Arsenal and even English football if they want to make the grade in future.

The 56-year-old was academy director at Arsenal from 2014 until 2017 overseeing their youth set-up but the left the job for Wolfsburg where he was sacked after seven months.

Opening up about his time at the academy in London he has sent out a message to young players instructing younger players to dodge the Gunners and the Premier League’s other clubs as according to him the top English sides ignore implementing a pathway to the academy lads from youth team to the first team.

“When I was at Arsenal, manager Arsene Wenger sometimes called up a few youth players for a couple of games in the League Cup,” Jonker told the Mirror.

“But when Arsenal had a league game a couple of days later, those boys were never in the squad. And in the next 50 games, Wenger would not pick them, either.

"So I have serious doubts if young talent are making the right step if they go to England at this moment. I would advise them not to go, but to play 100 games in first-team football on the continent first.”

Citing examples of two English talents, Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson, Jonker further suggested that English clubs do not put faith on the academy players however in other continents they are trusted which help them to develop their game.

Sancho rejected a £30,000-a-week contract at Manchester City to move to Borussia Dortmund and the 18-year-old’s impact has been so huge that he is now playing for the side regularly.

19-year-old Nelson, on the other hand, has also enhanced his reputation in the Bundesliga, after leaving Arsenal to join Hoffenheim on a season-long loan this season.

And Jonker has claimed such kind of talented players should stay away from Arsenal and the Premier League for their betterment.

“Take Donyell Malen,” added Jonker. “At Arsenal, he was a big talent, but he left the club just in time. He realised he was going to end up in what I call no-man’s land.

“Young players in England, who have huge talent, will only go and play in an Under-18 team, and when they are improving, they then only go the Under-23 team.

“So, Jadon Sancho went from Man City to Borussia Dortmund – and he is a sensation there. Reiss Nelson, of Arsenal, is choosing the same route. He is getting plenty of chances and minutes at Hoffenheim.”