Arsenal have invited Hoàng Anh Gia Lai midfielder Lee Nguyễn to train with Arsenal’s Reserve team for the next month as part of the Vietnamese club’s partnership with the Gunners. Nguyễn’s team-mate Datsakorn Thonglao was also offered the chance to come to London but stayed behind due to an illness with one of his children.
Nguyễn was born in Texas, America, to Vietnamese parents and was one of the youngest players ever to turn out for his country at Under 18 level. To date he has three caps for both the Under 23’s and full national team. A diminutive winger who can play up front, Lee was signed by PSV Eindhoven from Indiana University after Guus Hiddink scouted him at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships. Lee had rejected a move to the MLS a year before.
Despite becoming a favourite amongst the fans, he only made one appearance in the Eredivisie. Hiddink’s decision to quit PSV and Ronald Koemans appointment saw Nguyễn slip down into the Reserves. In January 2008 he quit Holland and signed for Danish Superliga club Randers FC. He had more success there, featuring 22 times but he failed to score.
Last season he returned to his family’s roots in Vietnam. A hat-trick on his first competitive appearance set to the tone as Lee finished his first season with 9 league goals, 4 cup goals, and 16 assists in 24 appearances. HAGL finished sixth in the League.
Having played in the 2007 Copa America, Lee’s move to Vietnam has seen his international chances dry up but the publicity behind his trial at Arsenal is sure to raise his profile. The 22-year-old will spend a month in London and could even turn out for Neil Banfield’s second-string.
Article By – J.Sanderson
Is this just a favour? or is there any chance he might sign
I’m really not sure mate. I think maybe its a favour, but who knows what might happen. He’s only 22-year-old and I like the fact he got 16 assists in 24 games – that’s really good – but it was in a poor League.
We’ll have to see what happens with this one but its interesting. Some people who have seen him play say he’s not all that but we’ll see.
It is purely for commercial reasons. He will train, and as in gratitude the Vietnam team will sell millions of shirts in the far East. We are not Man U with players who sell shirts (Manucho, the recent Japansese bloke rumours as well) We will never sign him, most of our U-18s are further developed than he is.
I heard he was very good for PSv youth teams and hiddinik liked him alot. He was going to start in the first team but they changed manager and he was offloaded.
What about a loan?
BTW their shirts resembles ours… uncanny.
Don’t think he’ll come to be honest, like it was mentioned above, I think some of our Under 18’s are probably better. What about Lansbury eh John!
Haho – Yeah – wonder what there away one is like!
Yeah Lansbury is better but not JET :D
when is coquelin back,any chance he will play in cc??
Yeah, you lot heard? Along with Krkic and Hazard, Lansbury was the best player at the under 17’s championships. He’s just stalled because of illness but he’s the greatest youth at Arsenal. He was gonna break in ahead of Gibbs and Wilshere even.
JET is shit, he’s slow, can’t pass, is a shit captain and can’t grab the game by the scruff of the neck the same way Lansbury can. In fact, the goals he scored last year, particularly the really important ones against Spurs in the 1/4 finals and Man City in the semi’s were very lucky. He was also very lucky when he came off the bench towards the end of last season when the under 16 promotees were struggling in the academy league to bail out a result. Crap player, he will NEVER make it at Arsenal!
……sorry, i couldn’t resist.
Ive only had a look at him in clips but he definitely has plenty of technical ability, as in his control is good and he can dribble a bit. Maybe a bit like pienaar in style. No idea how good he is though
TJ: I heard, and don’t take this as fact, but Lansbury was the mythical king in the land of England where he went to war with King El Krkic of Spain and Queen Makesgoodchocs Hazard of Belguim for the u17championship That Rules Them All but got sidelined by his mistress Jay Emmanuel, star of the softcore pornos, give him the kissing disease and stopping him ruling the world.
He might surprise…..best of Luck to him, i hope he make’s an impression!!!!!
Jay thomas for me is the new messi. You know hes big, strong, fast as hell and can go past players for fun.
Rah jay thomas is sik just watch him the new messi yh u heard it first.
fuck of plz no more jay lansbury posts go to their player profiles if you must.
Anyways this guy sounds shit
Samuel – Damn that JET! Who does he think he is? ;)
JS – You gonna do a preview for the Bristol City game?
I can see this guy make it for the bench in CC only. Thats really really sucks becouse I really want to see a asian guy make it at Arsenal.
He cant make then bench if on trial.
I am Vietnamese and have watched him play some times. To be honest, he is one of the best players in Vietnamese League last season, but like someone has said before, it’s a low-level league and the figures don’t make many senses. He’s at London Colney thanks to the pertnership between HAGL and Arsenal. In fact, at the signing, he asked HAGL to arrange a journey for him to train in Europe which he believed would help him develop more during the break of two seasons (that means from the end of August to the end of January next year), and as HAGL and Arsenal have close relationship now, he has been sent there. I can’t see him breaking through the second string squad, not to mention the first team, though I am Vietnamese, but I don’t also think he’s at Arsenal for commercial purposes. Anyway, wish him good time at London!
Hey people,
I am a Vietnamese guy, and have seen Lee Nguyen played the whole year in Vietnamese League. He is perfect, I can say, and will be able to adapt easily in Premier league, as long as he is chosen to stay there.
And dont think that VLeage is a poor one, you have got to see a match, and you would know.
22 and playing in a relatively shit league. Will come to nothing, me thinks. Unless Hiddinck’s coming in to replace Wenger, and this is his signing! OMG! Stop the press! Breaking news! :P
This is purely a training thing and he will not sign but if you impress Wenger, he will recommend you to other clubs. Wilson Palacios is an example of that. The JET vs Lansbury arguement is dumb. They are 18, give them a chance.
Palacios anyone? Remember you don’t have to be playing at the highest level to be a good player. Maybe, just maybe he will be a gem.
All I’m saying it that people who think they know what will happen regarding this trail, well, they know nothing.
Good luck to the lad.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1214502/Brady-bunch-Liam-masterminds-Arsenal-future-Highbury-memories-linger-on.html?ITO=1490
liam brady article. mostly about his highbury memories and is a very good read. mentions sanchez watt in the same tone as wilshere, so he seems a lock for the Carling Cup team.
Guys Palacios is overrated i would have alex song over him any day of the week.
Palacios for me doesnt have the stamina or technical ability. Hes a good player but hes not good enough for top 4 teams.
Look at Thomas Vermaelen he played in the dutch leagfue and look at him now hes been our best defender by a mile this season. He should be our captain hes proper leader
This guy was very poor in the danish league he didnt impress at all!
He couldnt make the starting line-up in a danish mid team, he will never sign for us, but good luck to Lee a good bloke…
lol… Lee Nguyen is not going to be playing for Arsenal…
Heem…neither will you. Wilson Palacios is overated? See this is this problem with arguments about football. Everyone is so biased towards there own teams players. I love Arsenal, but Wilson Palacios is a very good player and I wish we would have just signed him but we had Diarra and Flamini at the time.
Lee Nguyen is actually a decent player, I hope he signs in January, he could be a very good player, could play in a variety of positions, and he would come in cheap.
Why do we keep arguing about JET and Henri, they are both at arsenal, so they will both get chances, though i do think we have a lot of middys.
Shane,
I am American, and have followed Lee’s career since he was 16… he isnt good enough to play for Arsenal, would not get a work permit, and is way too lightweight and injury prone
my hope is that he impresses well enough so that Wenger (or Banfield) would be willing to pull strings to get him a job in Europe, but he is not going to sign with Arsenal… the move was done because the owner of his vietnamese club has bought into Arsenal and we have a relationship with that club… every year, 3 players from that club is invited to train at Arsenal at the end of the vietnamese season… Lee isnt good enough for Arsenal…
Palacios would not fit well into our passing game… and like you said, we had guys ahead of him at the time
and of course I will never play for Arsenal, neither will you… that was a completely pointless statement on your part…
He Might Be A Good Squad Player Actually!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Heem? Did you even read my post? You just agreed with everything I said. LOL….wow. Except for the last thing, my point was dont be mad at the guy and down grade him because he is getting to do something that not many people get to do. Read, Think…..then respond.
By the way have you watch Palacios? anyways Wenger himself said that he did sign him only because we had to many defensive mids at the time with Gilberto, Diarra,Flamini,Denilson, Song. He didnt say Palacios wasnt good enough. Now at the end of that year we no longer had Gilberto, Diarra or Flamini, but Palacios was already at Wigan.
He would be a vailable for less than 1 mil, and be a good backup player for our wingers, and bring some age into the carling cup.
and he can play atttacking mid and striker,