Arsenal raid Barcelona for new Spanish starlet

[Joss]

lets just end this debate by all agreeing clubs shud no no longer sign players from abroad under 18!

Agreed. But don't single out Arsenal, because every club in the world does it.

English clubs cant help if there is loop hole in Spanish FA rules.

It's not even a loophole, though. It's completely, 100% legal, because the rule is that Spanish youngsters can't sign a professional contract until they're 16 (/18?), so English clubs offer them contracts before they are eligible for a pro contract in Spain.

There's no loophole to exploit, just stupid rules.

 

[vlad-the-impaling-gunner]

Off-topic, Arsenal should have raided Barca for Gerard Deulofeu. He looks quite a prospect.

 

[Raphael.]

It's nothing against the rules but it's just immoral.

Also Wenger talks about making talent... he doesn't he just lets La Masia do it then steals the players but thats for another discussion

 

[Joss]

It's nothing against the rules but it's just immoral.

Also Wenger talks about making talent... he doesn't he just lets La Masia do it then steals the players but thats for another discussion

So do Barca. They approached two of Arsenal's players last year.

It may well be immoral, but then so are Barca, so are Chelsea, Man Utd etc.

All the big teams sign young players from across the world.

What about players like Jack Wilshere? Wenger nurtures plenty of young talents, some of them are English, and have been with the club since they were 8 years old, some are foreign imports, just like Barcelona, just like the other big teams.

Some players "poached" by other sides:

Spoiler

Pavel Pogba
Gael Kakuta
Iniesta (Albacete)
Messi
Thiago
Dos Santos twins
Macheda

Plus a whole load of other foreign imports in Arsenal, Barcelona, Man Utd, and Chelsea's Academies and Reserve sides.

 

[filipe_18]

Sergi Samper is better.

 

[vlad-the-impaling-gunner]

It's nothing against the rules but it's just immoral.

Also Wenger talks about making talent... he doesn't he just lets La Masia do it then steals the players but thats for another discussion

FYI, 16 year old's from La Masia aren't world class players. Wenger brings in his youngsters and nurtures their talent and turns them into world class players. And as Joss pointed out, everyone does it, it makes no sense at all for Arsenal to be singled out. Man Utd for instance hijacked Pogba, Petrucci, Macheda just to name a few. Pique, has to be by far and out the best example. No one ever mentions him though.

 

[Tsakis]

I am not trying to defend arsenal here, but there is a Greek talent (georgios spanoudakis) that was taken by barca from a German academy ( dortmund if I can recall correctly) from like 10 years old...