When you think of Arsenal one of the things which accompanies the club is a certain class around the way we go about our business. That class separates the Gunners from many other clubs, and the trend has continued even with our signings of youth players.
As we announced in January, Arsenal have signed Spanish Youth International defender Ignasi Miquel from Catalan minnows UD Cornella. The player will link up with the club when he turns 16 in September, yet will spend the summer training with his new team mates at Arsenal’s high class Shenley training centre.
One Spanish website made contact with his former employers Cornella to ask about the transfer, and they gave a glowing account of the treatment of the club, and the player during both the negotiations and the eventual transfer.
Miquel was given the VIP treatment when he first travelled to London, with club officials meeting Ignasi and taking him to a Hotel where personal terms were agreed. Then he was taken to his future housing in Enfield, where he was shown the area, before being taken to a local college where he spoke with members of the teaching staff about his development off the field.
Having returned home the deal was then struck with Cornella themselves, with the fee of around £900.000 being agreed for his transfer. To celebrate the deal Ignasi was invited back to London and had a meal with the first team squad, before being invited to the box office to watch the 2-0 win over Blackburn at the Emirates Stadium. After the game he was given his idol Cesc Fabregas’s jersey before leaving for a Spanish Under 17 training camp.
Just over a month later he was back in London again, this time to watch the first team game against Aston Villa where Cornella’s coaching staff were so impressed they took some snaps for their official website. The clubs director of football Andres Manzano praised Miquel as “The New Thuram” and confirmed the money received from his transfer will see the club’s Academy grow.
Maybe Spurs could learn a thing about class when it comes to youth signings as they close in on John Bostock. You can watch a video of Miquel in action Here.
Article By – J.Sanderson
Pingback: Arsenal Treat New Signing Miquel To VIP Treatment
lmfao, brilliant reference to Spurs at the end! :D
lol the spuds can take the English talent if they want; I think our English youth/reserves are better than what they can find anyway!
I’m quite happy to let them take the ones we don’t want while we take good’uns from places like Spain! :)
Great article, as always. Does anyone know if we have any interest in Bostock? We have been linked with him before, as have most of the big four, and obviously this week the papers suggested spurs were closing in on him, but do you think we may make a late move? Does anyone know what type of player he is aside from just saying an “attacking mid”? Many thanks.
I think you mean Miquel was in the Director’s Box at the blackburn game, not the box office. Interesting article though.
Who was the player that Spurs took from us recently. And more to the point was he any good?
Yes R.
I think Bostock is all but a Tottenham player, because he is a talented young player we were linked in the media.
Arsenal have always had that little bit of extra class – no wonder so many youngsters want to sign for the club!
Some months ago you mentioned the signing/future signing of Yoan Gouffran. Is there any more news?
Amongst all the poor decisions and bad luck we suffered during the last part of the season there was at least some justice when Birmingham and ‘over the top’Taylor were relegated!
They signed Jason Banton.. but he didnt like it.. so returned to us.
have we made an effort to sign bostock? i know he is very highly rated, why would he be going to spurs if arsenal, chelsea, barca and united are supposedly interested? Unless the answer is that none of them were that interested?
I very much doubt we did mate. Henri Lansbury and Jack Wilshere are better prospects
Do you say this based mainly on what the papers have been saying or from an alternative source? Aside from knowing his name for the last 2 years or so and hearing that he is a big english talent i know very little about him, and thats good enough for me to want us to buy him! Especially when Spurs are sniffing around! Do we have a similar calibre of forwards in that age group? Thanks.
J – i love this site, keeps us up to date with the youth, well done mate
Great reference to the Spuds at the end. Excellent blog by the way. Carry on the good work.
Thank you for your kind support Rico :D
gr8 article…whats the news on gouffran?heard we were closing in on him a while back…
I just love this site. It keep you up-to-date with the youth at the club. Many thanks…..great read
gd post sanderson. finally you put the video up that i gave you.
Thank you guys. Btw in response to media reports that Pedro is coming back…
see here
http://youngguns.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/arsenals-pedro-to-spend-next-season-with-salamanca/
So Jack Wilshere is better then Bostock?
I know they both play for Eungland u17’s a year above their actull age group.
will this guy go straight into the U18’s? 4 that kinda money i would hope so.
Nasri is coming guys
Article Coming On That News Later..
Is Nasri defiantly coming then? How much did we pay for him?
come home Nasri
sanderson you have a link or any back up to your claims on nasri? o issit pure speculation?
The story about Miquel just confirms what Nordtveit said himself in an interview recently. Arsenal do things more professionally. It´s also what Wenger says, about the traditions of how Arsenal is run. Great stuff.
About Bostock. He may be good, but also hyped. Where shall we put them all? There will come new talented youth players next year, and the year after that. We can´t buy them all… Except for Nasri! :D
Nasri deal will be confirmed fairly soon, not tomorrow or anything like that, I’d say in a couple of weeks or so.
The deal is for 17.5 million euros which is Nasri’s release clause. It’s about 13.5 million pounds.
How do you know? Is it defiantly true?
Article coming on my blog in around 15 minutes…
If that is true I am one happy Gooner
Reports in France confirm it. Thanks to Vince from Arsenal France :D
Marseille based La Provence claims that Nasri is on his way to Arsenal:
http://www.laprovence.com/articles/2008/05/18/451170-FRANCE-Le-cadeau-de-Nasri-et-Cisse.php
Is this deal going to be completed tommorrow or sometime soon? cause would be great news if he has joined and i wont 100% believe till its been confirmed
Am I the only one who press F5 on Gooner Talk every half minute? :-)
http://goonertalk.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/nasri-deal-agreed/
we cant be 100% sure so dont be too surprised if he doesnt sign just to warn you guys in advance..
Yes of course, lets wait and see
spurs have no class!!!
I remember last time Spuds beat us for a player, that was Gareth Bale. He is fantastic but maybe Wenger knew that he had some injury problems. Last fall everybody were saying that we should have bought Bale instead of Walcott, but Wenger always knows.
Btw. lets all take a good laugh because AC Milan didn’t get the fourth spot. It will be fun for Flamini to play in the UEFA Cup against FC Kobenhagen
i just read that jack wilshere has agreed to sign a 5 year deal when he turns 17, is that true J???
Yes its a professional contract, atm he is on a scholarship.
Mr Sanderson,
Please can you tell me about the youth set up at Hale End? How does the scouting work there, does Liam Brady or Roy Massey watch players before they trial?
J..its a damn good site..appreciate your work..your doin a great job..continue it..cheers!!!! and is nasri surely on his way..and what happened to arfa????
Hah, ive got a good feeling about this kid, as i have with many of our reserve and youth players, new and old. Great referance to spuds aswell, John Bostock isnt a bad player but i cant stand him, and if any1 doesnt know why just read his myspace (no i dont look players up on myspace in general but i did a little bit of reserch on him and i found some referances to it aswell as a link). Hes a christian fundermentalist, got nothing against christians mind, its just the way he talks about being one so much that annoys me, as if thats the summary of his personality…christian.
Johnny Maverik: I actually checked out his MySpace after I read your post. All it suggests to me is that he is a really nice lad. He seems grateful for what he got and not full of himself just because he is good at football.
Come off it people, the last decent player Spurs had was Pat Jennings. And he was better for Arsenal.
“All it suggests to me is that he is a really nice lad. He seems grateful for what he got and not full of himself”
each to their own, im not guna disagree with you, its just all that stuff about religion and jesus giving us a gift, im sure hes a well intentioned nice lad, its just that stuff can have a dark side. He isnt full of himself in terms of football though ill grant you.
Anyway, good signings for Arsenal regardless of who the spuds have lined up, im a bit on edge considering how many we have coming in, because theres a huge amount of talent in the U18s and i dont feel we need that much coming in. 2 of 3 young players fine, but 5 or 6 and you start blocking off peoples development by overloading the positions in the young sides.