In alphabetical order, here are just 10 Arsenal ‘wonderkids’ that have failed to make an impact or deliver the goods after been touted as the next big thing at the North London club:

Arturo Lupoli

Lupoli was just 17 when he made the switch from Parma to Arsenal in 2004. The Italian striker was yet another promising prospect but failed to impress and shine for Arsenal football club. Many Arsenal fans (including me) thought that the Italian would have been one of those players who would see a majority of their career out at Arsenal, sadly we were mistaken. The forward could not settle in the area which led to Wenger sending the player out on-loan to Derby County after making just 9 appearances (3 as a substitute) in the red and white of the North London club. Lupoli did ok whilst playing for Derby and did manage to rack up a few appearances plus some goals. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for Wenger to keep him at the club and let the striker join Serie A side Fiorentina in 2007 on a free. A promising talent yet delivered very little for the fans and Wenger to get excited about. Lupoli is now playing in Serie B for Ascoli

Fran Merida

The Spaniard was tipped to follow in the footsteps of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, but sadly for several Arsenal fans (including me) the creative midfielder was not given enough time to shine for the Gunners. Wenger acquired the youngster in 2007 from Barcelona but never gave the midfielder enough time to develop within the Arsenal squad. Many Arsenal fans would have been upset with the departure of the Spaniard this summer after they had expected the midfielder to play a more important role in the squad this season. Arsene Wenger also described him as an ‘absolutely amazing player’…so why didn’t you involve him in the team more, Arsene? Fran Merida has to be in this list purely for the fact that he was touted by many as the next Fabregas, yet we saw very little of his talent in the Arsenal jersey. Merida featured 15 times in a 3 year spell for the North London club and only bagged 3 goals. Merida recently signed for Atletico Madrid on a free having refused to sign a contract tabled by the Gunners earlier this year.

Jay Simpson

Speed, stamina and physically strong, Jay Simpson is yet another youngster who looks like he will be on his way out of the Emirates sooner rather than later. Simpson has only managed to notch up 3 appearances for the Gunners which came in the League Cup against Sheffield United in 2008. This was also the game where he got his first two and only senior goals for the club so far. The forward has propelled through the ranks of the youth system at Arsenal and now at 21, looks to be a fairly decent player for the future. Like all the other young footballers at Arsenal, the striker has been sent out on-loan to gain valuable first-team experience. Millwall, West Bromich Albion and QPR are the three clubs he has been sent out to so far. The striker has made a combined total of over 90 appearances and bagged 21 goals for the three clubs mentioned above. Simpson has recently finished his year loan spell at QPR, and Wenger insists that the striker will be heading back to the Emirates this summer. The future does look bright for Jay Simpson, but with Wenger’s persistent policy of acquiring young talent, it appears that Simpson may not be an Arsenal player for much longer, even though he looks to be a good young talent.


Jeremie Aliadiere

The French striker signed for Arsenal at just the age of 16 and was considered a highly promising prospect for the future. The head coach of the highly renowned Clairefontaine academy in France, Claude Dusseau stated that along with Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka, Aliadiere was amongst the best strikers to come out of the academy in the past 10 years. His talent was noticeable and displayed some promising performances during his time in North London. Unfortunately, injury problems did hamper the forward’s development, and as such, was mainly used as a substitute. During his 6 year spell at Arsenal, the striker managed to appear 51 times for the Gunners (32 of which he came off the bench) and netted 11 goals in all competitions. Could have been a really good player for the club, but injury problems certainly hampered his progress. Currently, the Frenchman is a free agent and will be looking for a new club after deciding not to renew his contract with Middlesbrough.

Jermaine Pennant

Jermaine Pennant signed for Arsenal in 1999 from Notts County for £2 million (a record fee for a trainee at the time) at just the age of 15. Fans certainly expected the youngster to shine and excel for the fee Wenger paid for him. However, Pennant was certainly a player who promised so much but in fact delivered very little in his time in North London. The Englishman never settled in North London and this was clearly evident as the winger was sent out on-loan throughout the majority of his Arsenal career, rather than playing for the Gunners. Whilst wearing the cannon on his chest, Pennant only managed to make a total of 25 appearances for the Gunners and bagged only 3 goals. A lot was expected, but unsettlement and a bad disciplinary record saw the winger leave Arsenal for yet another loan deal to Birmingham City in 2004. During his loan spell at the club, Pennant decided to sign permanently for the Blues in April 2005 on a free. The Englishman is currently contracted to Primera Divison side Real Zaragoza.

In alphabetical order, here are just 10 Arsenal ‘wonderkids’ that have failed to make an impact or deliver the goods after been touted as the next big thing at the North London club:

Arturo Lupoli

Lupoli was just 17 when he made the switch from Parma to Arsenal in 2004. The Italian striker was yet another promising prospect but failed to impress and shine for Arsenal football club. Many Arsenal fans (including me) thought that the Italian would have been one of those players who would see a majority of their career out at Arsenal, sadly we were mistaken. The forward could not settle in the area which led to Wenger sending the player out on-loan to Derby County after making just 9 appearances (3 as a substitute) in the red and white of the North London club. Lupoli did ok whilst playing for Derby and did manage to rack up a few appearances plus some goals. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for Wenger to keep him at the club and let the striker join Serie A side Fiorentina in 2007 on a free. A promising talent yet delivered very little for the fans and Wenger to get excited about. Lupoli is now playing in Serie B for Ascoli

Fran Merida

The Spaniard was tipped to follow in the footsteps of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, but sadly for several Arsenal fans (including me) the creative midfielder was not given enough time to shine for the Gunners. Wenger acquired the youngster in 2007 from Barcelona but never gave the midfielder enough time to develop within the Arsenal squad. Many Arsenal fans would have been upset with the departure of the Spaniard this summer after they had expected the midfielder to play a more important role in the squad this season. Arsene Wenger also described him as an ‘absolutely amazing player’…so why didn’t you involve him in the team more, Arsene? Fran Merida has to be in this list purely for the fact that he was touted by many as the next Fabregas, yet we saw very little of his talent in the Arsenal jersey. Merida featured 15 times in a 3 year spell for the North London club and only bagged 3 goals. Merida recently signed for Atletico Madrid on a free having refused to sign a contract tabled by the Gunners earlier this year.

Jay Simpson

Speed, stamina and physically strong, Jay Simpson is yet another youngster who looks like he will be on his way out of the Emirates sooner rather than later. Simpson has only managed to notch up 3 appearances for the Gunners which came in the League Cup against Sheffield United in 2008. This was also the game where he got his first two and only senior goals for the club so far. The forward has propelled through the ranks of the youth system at Arsenal and now at 21, looks to be a fairly decent player for the future. Like all the other young footballers at Arsenal, the striker has been sent out on-loan to gain valuable first-team experience. Millwall, West Bromich Albion and QPR are the three clubs he has been sent out to so far. The striker has made a combined total of over 90 appearances and bagged 21 goals for the three clubs mentioned above. Simpson has recently finished his year loan spell at QPR, and Wenger insists that the striker will be heading back to the Emirates this summer. The future does look bright for Jay Simpson, but with Wenger’s persistent policy of acquiring young talent, it appears that Simpson may not be an Arsenal player for much longer, even though he looks to be a good young talent.


Jeremie Aliadiere

The French striker signed for Arsenal at just the age of 16 and was considered a highly promising prospect for the future. The head coach of the highly renowned Clairefontaine academy in France, Claude Dusseau stated that along with Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka, Aliadiere was amongst the best strikers to come out of the academy in the past 10 years. His talent was noticeable and displayed some promising performances during his time in North London. Unfortunately, injury problems did hamper the forward’s development, and as such, was mainly used as a substitute. During his 6 year spell at Arsenal, the striker managed to appear 51 times for the Gunners (32 of which he came off the bench) and netted 11 goals in all competitions. Could have been a really good player for the club, but injury problems certainly hampered his progress. Currently, the Frenchman is a free agent and will be looking for a new club after deciding not to renew his contract with Middlesbrough.

Jermaine Pennant

Jermaine Pennant signed for Arsenal in 1999 from Notts County for £2 million (a record fee for a trainee at the time) at just the age of 15. Fans certainly expected the youngster to shine and excel for the fee Wenger paid for him. However, Pennant was certainly a player who promised so much but in fact delivered very little in his time in North London. The Englishman never settled in North London and this was clearly evident as the winger was sent out on-loan throughout the majority of his Arsenal career, rather than playing for the Gunners. Whilst wearing the cannon on his chest, Pennant only managed to make a total of 25 appearances for the Gunners and bagged only 3 goals. A lot was expected, but unsettlement and a bad disciplinary record saw the winger leave Arsenal for yet another loan deal to Birmingham City in 2004. During his loan spell at the club, Pennant decided to sign permanently for the Blues in April 2005 on a free. The Englishman is currently contracted to Primera Divison side Real Zaragoza.

The transfer window always seems to let in its fair share of flies. As I swat at the little buggers left and right, trying to splatter the nasty, baseless rumors to the wall with a swatter to leave the air clean of the buzzing nuisance of faux press, there’s a consistent pest that escapes my hand-powered vengeance: Players don’t seem to want to come to Arsenal.

We’ve been linked with hundreds of players this silly season, thousands if you include the repeat articles about Sebastian Frey and Mark Schwarzer (we’re going to field a team entirely made of goalkeepers next season … look out Chelsea). And we all know we’ve had our fair share of players linked elsewhere in return, especially a certain Catalan captain of ours who’s been enjoying life on the bench for Spain in preparation for an undoubtedly short-lived Barcelona stint 10 years from now. Cheers, Gerard Pique, for the recent word-filth you upchucked about Captain Cesc Fabregas and his “inevitable” departure into cheek-kissing Spanish madness. But as the paper mills churn out an eruption of parchment on Arsenal’s reported interest in players X, Y, and Z, more and more big name players keep saying the same thing about our beloved Gunners:

“No thanks.”

Years ago, players dreamed of playing in the red and white at Highbury, playing alongside the best the world had to offer: Bergkamp, Henry, Ljungberg, Viera. Chasing records and chasing trophies. Building history that people like me would spout about decades later. But as Arsene Wenger sold away the majority of Arsenal’s remaining greats over the last five years, some misguided Cash 4 Gold! scheme no doubt, our relevance as a destination club has taken a serious hit.

Is Arsenal relevant anymore?

Mesut Ozil, who many argue has been the breakout player of the World Cup for the ruthless Germans, has been linked with Arsenal this summer. Despite my thrusting joy of hearing about the North London link for the Magical Mesut (copyright that, Erik), Ozil himself speaks only of Manchester United and Chelsea, “You look at what Manchester United and Chelsea have achieved over the last five years and you see it would be easy to be successful at two clubs like that. There are two teams in England always at the top and of course that’s attractive.”

The Big Four has been whittled down to the Big Two. And Arsenal are left standing on the other side of the fence, holding back rage-filled tears as we watch the brightest young stars in the world off-handedly discard our club in pursuit of bigger and better opportunities. Yes, we can offer more first team football, yes, we have a great history and near-guaranteed Champions League football every single year, yes, we have one of the best managers in the world who works tirelessly to cultivate young players like few in the world. But we don’t have trophies. We don’t have a killer instinct. We don’t have recent success. And, just as Ozil speaks of the Big Two’s silver-laden exploits in “the last five years,” our relevance as a club has been greatly diminished throughout that very same time.

We aren’t viewed as the Invincibles anymore. We aren’t viewed as the Big Four anymore. The freaking Spuds, on paper at least, are starting to scare me to the point that I’m wondering whether or not last year’s record-breaking loss to Tottenham wasn’t as much of an aberration as I convinced myself it was. We are competing for everyone we want to join our club with the likes of Fulham, Wigan, and Aston Villa. We aren’t butting heads with Real Madrid or Inter Milan over the brightest stars in the world anymore, but with mid-table French clubs and the Scottish Premier League for players who’ve hardly seen top-flight football. It feels like the car is starting to rust, even though we just bought it new a few years ago.

Simon Kjær, the 21-year-old Palermo defender and Danish international who dominated in Denmark’s defense throughout the World Cup, has also been linked to Arsenal. And while Arsenal fans like myself start drooling about a Vermaelen-Kjær spine for the next 10 years at the Emirates, Kjær only has eyes on more “prestigious” sides. Palermo director of sport Walter Sabatini, speaking recently about a potential switch to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg for Kjær, suggested that the young centreback has his eyes on a bigger future, “I’m sure he’ll reach those big clubs soon enough, assuming the Wolfsburg deal is finalised. He had hoped for Manchester United or Juventus, but I’m confident he will get those opportunities in the future.”

So why not Arsenal? Players seem to be “flattered” with Arsenal’s interest, mostly because of the history of the club and Arsene Wenger’s deserved renown, but the links being formed aren’t made of chain anymore; not like they used to be. These aren’t steel bonds between great young players and our celebrated club; they’re braided twine, wrapped loosely together by the press and people like me: Hopeful Gooners, desperate for trophies and a return to the distinction that earned the fear and respect of the footballing world.

But it can change in a heartbeat though. Manchester United could slip into insurmountable debt, fueled by the losses of the Glazers (bloody Yanks) and be forced to sell of the bulk of their assets and/or remove themselves entirely from the transfer window for years to come. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who funded the Blues’ trophy hunts like a … well, like a Russian billionaire funding trophy hunts … could get bored with his toy, sell the club, and demand repayment on his extraordinary loans that have allowed the club the financial whimsy to spur their recent success.

We at Arsenal are lucky, we’re lucky to be in the financial standing that we’re in, thanks largely in part to Arsene Wenger and his brilliant fiscal management. But the time to act is now. The time to return our club to glory is now, before it’s too late, before the rust overwhelms the engine and disintegrates the very foundation that makes our club so special. And to do that, we have to spend our hard-earned, hard-saved money on players that shake the earth (in prestige … not weight like Emile Heskey). We have to make ourselves relevant again. We have to show players like Ozil, Kjær, Hangeland, and Gourcuff that the ONLY place they want to play is Arsenal. That we can win with them, not once, not twice, but for years to come.

Maybe we have to win a trophy first, to break down that brick and mortar wall that’s been building over the last five years, maybe we have to prove to eager footballers across the globe that WE ARE STILL ARSENAL. The same Arsenal that, not so long ago, was the envy of the earth. That struck fear in the hearts and minds of our opponents. That showed how beautiful football can be. That stunned the Premier League with our talent and ruthlessness. That counter-attacked with ferocity and defended like bloodied soldiers before an immovable castle. We can still be Arsenal, we can still be relevant, but we need to show it, through money, through a few groundbreaking transfers, and, most importantly, through silverware.