The globe trotting adventures of Arsenal’s newly appointed scout Tony Adams continued over the weekend as he made the trip to Belgium to watch R.S.C. Anderlecht at their Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.
He was present to make checks on exciting striker Romelu Lukaku who turned out for the home side. The 16-year-old 6 foot 3 inch striker posses a lethal strike rate at youth level and he’s now showing that form on a bigger stage. Four goals from seven fixtures for the Brussels based outfit has seen Lukaku become one of the most talked about prospects in his home land.
Lukaku, despite his tender age, is much travelled but performed notably for his former employers FC Brussels. 68 goals in 68 games for their youth team brought the attention of giants Anderlecht, and Romelu continued his exploits after penning a contract with them. 121 goals in 88 fixtures for the B team saw him promoted into the first team.
A current Belgian Under 21 International, the forward, who isn’t 17 until May, scored on his international debut against Slovenia. Lukaku will continue to represent Belgium despite being of Congo descent. The player’s family have issued a firm ‘hands off’ warning stating Romelu will stay with Anderlecht until he is at least 18, but with his rapid goal scoring rate there will be a real struggle to keep him away from the leading lights of European football.
Adams was reported to have been very impressed and will no doubt be making further checks on the striker in the coming weeks.
Article By – J.Sanderson
He is 16 yet plays and scores regularly. Jesus, the Belgians and their talent. Let’s hope that unlike Van den Borre, Kompany and Witsel, he does not go of the tracks. But becomes a Defour or a Vermaelen.
He is a monster physically. Technically he is decent, however I am not sure that he has the vision to be a great striker.
He remind me of JET.
He could be the next big thing at U17, U19 and U21 that failed miserably at senior level because he is not the biggest bully anymore.
Against France, Sakho handled him quite easily despite being smaller than him.
Against France, Sakho handled him quite easily despite being smaller than him.
Well that would be down to experience! and only playing belgian league, if his parents know whats good for him they would trust Arsene!
Has awesome height and strenght and the pace and skill to go with it. Reminds me of Drogba
Wasnt it Tony Adams who said Vermaelen would not be a worthwhile signing? Are we sure he’s the right man to be scouting people…
Fucking hell, those are some stats! Shame we sent big Tone though, you can get a nice pint or two in Belguim.
Not sure I would trust Tonys judgement on a striker, he said vermaelan wasn’t ready for the prem, and he’s a centre back!
As barmy as bif T seems these days the only reason he apparently said that was to keep other teams of the scent, and keep the fee lower. Villa were sniffing around as well and the compition would have lead to an inflated price.
I dont know if Tony Adams is the right man for this very important job for Arsenal. Listen to his comments about Thomas Vermaelen(TV) prior to him signing for us and you’ll begin to wonder if he’s got the right credentials to scout for us!! He did not want AW to sign Thomas for a number of reasons he cited on the BBC & SKY sports. Thank God AW ignored all that ranting and still signed TV. Can we ever trust Tony Adams to make a correct judgement on any future Arsenal player as a scout seeing he got it horribly wrong with TV? And this is somebody who also wants to manage the team after AW’s departure.. No Chance Mr Adams. You were an excellent captain for us during your time but that’s as far as it goes.
To be fair to Tony Adams he saw Vermaelen play left back most scouts did. Its only wenger who rembered him playing centre half against us in the amsterdam cup.
Wenger saw his talents as a centre half whilst most ppl saw him as a left back.
I like tony adams we need to give him a role at our club hes arsenal through and through
Adams only said those things to throw people off the scent. He spoke about an Italian CB, what Italian CB have you heard about? Spaniah Breakfast is right, it was a red herring. Vermalaen always played centre half for Ajax as their Captain, john, so that view isn’t quite true.
Adams was just trying to be misleading. Do you announce to the World before you’ve even finalised details on a player that he’s the best thing since Paolo Maldini without causing a scramble? Or instead try and create a diversion by telling them you are actually are close to signing the real Paolo Maldini?
I don’t know how good a scout Adams is but don’t judge him by the Vermaelen thing. Trust Arsene, who clearly trusts Tony.
I like Tony Adams too john, but I don’t see why he’s in a scouting position. His lack of respect for other players’ talents served him briliantly as a CB, but it won’t as a scout. I’d be delighted to have him on board as a coach to help us cut out our defensive mishaps, but I can’t really see what he’ll offer as a scout.
Personally, I think that DB10 would make an excellent scout, and eventually even an excellent manager. I hope he comes back soon!
Kep, Vermaelen had announced to the world that he wanted to sign for Arsenal before Adams dismissed him. I’m not convinced he was just ‘trying to be misleading’. I trust Arsene wholeheartedly with the overall running of the club, but Arsene is a very trusting person, and on this occaision he may have misplaced his trust. It wouldn’t be the first time.
adams is typical English,they think football is all about size n rough tackles,adams should go scourt 4 big sam n nt Arsenal
I dont believe that Tony was playing games and I’m really suprised AW has taken him in as a scout. Like the sound of Lukaku though … I’d love DB10 to be manager one day but it will never happen – who would be pitch side on those far flung European away days?
Hi,
I was at the Anderlecht/GBA game three weeks ago and Lukaku played and looked like a 25-30 year-old. He scored the only goal to win the game 1:0 – he looks very special. Only reservation I would have is that the standard of the game was very poor, probably two levels now below Premier League, so difficult to be sure that he could succeed at highest level, but would almost certainly be worth a gamble and if he could be bought and then loaned back to Anderlecht for 1-2 seasons might keep Arsenal/Anderlecht/Lukaku’s family all happy at the same time.
It is a big plus if he plays for Belgium compared to Congo and avoid missing 2 months of the EPL every 2 years.
Less talk,we need action arsene.
http://www.skysports.com/football/transfers/scout/0,24035,15198_5628069,00.html
this kid looks good
“In arsene we trust”
sounds like another henry emerging..
Steve Bould is the next manager because he’s learned the Arsenal way and have done really well. In 3/4 years time, majority of the players coming through would have passed through his hands.
Bouldy knows the Wenerball better than anybody else.
He gets my vote Only Fabregas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romelu_Lukaku
I love it how some fans can see a comment by adams without knowing the context to which he said it, have no idea how good his ability is to spot talent and then come to the conclusion arsene wenger and his chief scout are wrong to send adams
Well being from Belgium and can tell you that he is a sensation for the moment. Only 16 but he looks 20 if you see his body.
He scored another real strikers goal this weekend beating the defenders with pace, holding of a challenge and kicking the ball hard and precise in the goal.
He reminds of JET as somewone mentionned.
If bought quickly he can be a major signing for the future.
Kep u tube vermaelen played left back last season for Ajax mostly. Which is why i think tony adams said he wasnt ready. He did say hes a very good player.
To be honest id rather have tony adams judging a good defender rather than wenger. Wenger for me loves attacking players he hasnt got the right defensive players yet. Vermaelen looks brilliant but if he gets injured we are doomed. Silvestre and senderos are not ready atm
Imagine Adams saying: “Vermealen is a perfect CM for arsenal and can play in every big club in the world and he have great vision and is a great passer, he will suit Arsenal just perfect.”
That would be so damn stupid and he will never scout again for Arsenal for sure. We wouldn’t have got Vermaelen today. Even Wenger use to say things like “He is a very good player but I’m not sure if he is ready for the premier leauge yet”
Personally, I think that DB10 would make an excellent scout, and eventually even an excellent manager. I hope he comes back soon!
the man who can said this on October 18, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Lol, as long as he didn’t have to travel to see them?
Come on people – calling a random player we are scouting another ‘henry’? It’s ridiculous how OTT some people get at times. It’s hope the guy can be that good – if we sign him! – but remember he is just a promising 16 year old and ridiculous over-the-top comparisons, bar Messi to Maradona, rarely do anything but stall a players career. (I know there is a difference between the press doing it and 1 bloke on a message board but I firmly believe that if our youth system and scouting is to be successful, our feet must stay firmly on the ground.)
in Arsene we trust becos this same AW who rejected Adams opinion about TV5, still have to send him to scout on prospects. let AW have the final say
Well, no one can be sure if Adams really meant what he said. Much of the things that come out of the club are smoke and mirrors. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Football is a cutthroat business, so we’ve got to protect our best interests. If that means keeping fans (and the rest of the world) in the dark to what’s really happening in regards to how much a player is rated, then so be it.
I guess if Wenger trusts Adams enough to be a scout, then I guess it means that he’s not doing a bad job. On the other hand, it could be that Wenger thinks that Adam is truly crap, and will give a wrong opinion of a player everytime, so he sends him out to offer his totally honest, but wrong, appraisal of a player. ;)
I think if Adams says NO.
It means he is good, and that once again Tony Adams got it wrong.
He got Vermealen wrong.
Then he admitted on SKY SPORTS that a player who assisted 2 goals against Liverpool this year was scouted by him, for Portsmouth and he toled Harry Redknapp not to buy him.
He goes on to say that he regrets that decision now.
Not sure about Adams as a scout. This is the same man who once said that if he could, he wouldn’t speak to anyone and go through life just walking his dog. We’ve got to be wary of youth players that score lots of goals due to being massive at a young age however. Check out Cherno Samba as a prime example.
Weren’t Adams’ quotes that he thought Vermaelen was very good (but not ready for Arsenal), but he thought the Arsenal supporters would want a taller player. Whether or not he was being deliberately misleading, I don’t think he said that Vermaelen wouldn’t be a worthwhile signing, wasn’t ready for the Premiership, nor that he didn’t want AW to sign him
We would never sign a player simply off one scouts reccomendation – especially Adams. Others including Rowley & Wenger himself would want to see the player themselves and ultimtely decide if they are good enough! Chill. It can only be a good thing that someone linked to our club is paying an interest to these ‘potential’ stars…
Am – That player was Vargas and TA was scouting him as a potential LB. He said the guy isn’t the best when it comes to defensive duties – which is very true. Great going going but would get exposed in the PL. So he made a good choice there.
Mark – That’s exactly what he said.
see Daily MAil is even taking articles from here now, you have managed to establish quite a reputation of reliability here J. When it comes to Adams I believe he will thrive learning under Wenger, he has undoubtfully leadership abilities and this might be what he needs to thrive as a coach or manager
Any of those slagging Adams recall Wenger questioning Arshavin’s ability to play consecutive games at the highest level?
“Arsene Wenger is a cunning fox. In the morning he says Arshavin will play all the time at his club and during the day he says he doubts the capabilities of Andrei to play three games in a row at the highest level.
“But this is a tactic to fool the competition. He calls Andrei a Tsar and then tries to deny interest in the player.”
I,ve watched him he would be a good goal scorer under AW.arsene knows!
This is a good sized striker. I mean from what you wrote about him it looks like he is tearing it up. 6’3 is huge. This mean the smaller defenders will have a hard time defending him. http://bobbygee.wordpress.com/
Valentin-Might be a good youth player but not make in the full team?…He already starts for Anderlecht and is scoring….Anyways, he is younger then Benik Afobe. Arsenal need a quality powerful target man and if Wenger signs him early then he can turn Lukaku into the man we need.
I watched him play verse Ajax in the UEROPA League and he definetly has some talent. The first time I saw him and heard about his Congo descent, my first thought was that he isnt really 16 but then I found out he was actually born in Belgium so no real question about his age. I think it would be good for Arsenal to have that strong powerful target man like a Drogba,Bolatelli, or Kenwyne Jones for the target man so this would be a very good buy.
As much I love Tony Adams, I do not think he is good at management or scouting. Has there been a management job he did where he was not fired? I think this is no coincidence.
And then there is the Verminator case. From being ‘not good enough’ to one of the most promising signings, that is too much to accept.
hi arsenal fans , i’m new on this site well not very new but it’s the first time than i write here…..
So for me lukaku is a very good prospect , is a monster physically talking ,6-3,got pace and a is a good finisher at only 16 years old….but need to develop his technique which is not so great, but the boy is a hard worker so i’m sure he will become a top notch player very fast,
ps: he got the same congolese origin than benik afobe(from RDC), his father roger lukaku was a former congolese international so we hope (i’m congolese too) than the two will play for us even if it will be hard to steal them from england and belgium.
DB would be a shit manager, he dosnt fly ffs.
TA, i think hes useless at managing and scouting for a big club such as arsenal, though i hope he makes it somewhere.
This guy sounds aweseome, though doubt we will get him.
Wenger said NASRI & FAbianksi will play tommorow in the reserves :).
Im not against his quality and ability but do u think as he broke in anderletch senior team will do so with us with full of talented ace we’ve?it cn possible xcept if he cn showcase what he worth b4 such thing n i still belief if he come to arsenal will enjoy than belgium.
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“This mean the smaller defenders will have a hard time defending him.”
Another sensational insight bobby gee, please get rid of this spammer!
Who were those Ghanian youngsters charlton signed , there were about four of em under 20 years old.
adams has proven himself as assistant manager under redknapp and as commented later by redknapp. would love to have him as a coach at arsenal or even scout…depends what kind of life style he choose really as a more relaxed coach role or the hectic high pressure manager proffession. Any trade takes time to learn, his manager reign have not been significant though.
Perhaps Wenger already has his mind up about Lukaku and sent adams to see how well he would scout him?
good point TheCritic, it might very well be partly like that. Wenger has probably seen a lot of videos and we also have scouts on the continents (Grimandi and more) who probably have checked him out. He seems like a hot prospect, I hope we can get him.
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Tony Adams as a scout i am not so sure, because i remeber reading his newspaper column when England was at Euro 2004 and before every game we played he kept saying that Sven Goran Eriksson should drop Wayne Rooney, dispite him being our best player there.
“This guy sounds aweseome, though doubt we will get him.”
hah, just wait and see, it’s going to happen.
Thanks ‘stone’… I was thinking perhaps Wenger has sent Adams over as a test, to see if he could be a good addition to our scouting team or another place.
maybe tony adams went to check on a 6’4 HUNGARIAN CB ROLAND
They were Ivorian sorry…
Cyriac Gohi Bi Zoro Sede 19 now at Standard Liege,
Mouassa Guindo 18 on loan at ASEC Mimosas,
Antoine N’Gossan 19 on loan at AESEC Mimosas,
Troh Cesar Hougnonhouon 19 on loan at ASEC Mimosas,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX-louZI-lM&feature=related
Anderlecht – Ajax amsterdam Euro leage
He was awesome again last Friday vs GBA: 2 assists, 2 goals :]
0-5 victory for Anderlecht
I dont know if u can see this from outside Belgium but this is the summary of the last match: http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/MG_voetbalverslagen/2.8973/1.706027