Arsène Wenger has handed Mark Randall one last chance to make a career for himself at Arsenal. The 21-year-old joined Rotherham United on loan this week in a key move.
Wenger has always been a big fan of Randall, who has featured twice in the Premier League alongside a selection of Champions League and Carling Cup run outs. He impressed during a short loan spell with Burnley in 2008 and returned as part of the first-team. However, Mark failed to take his chances amid the emergence of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey and joined Milton Keynes Dons on loan last year.
The experience of playing in League One was supposed to kick start his development in a new role of holding midfield, a position he had shown promise in during the Carling Cup. Yet he struggled and never really looked interested as an inconsistent Dons side finished mid-table.
Wenger then selected Mark for the Emirates Cup, giving him match time against AC Milan, where he missed two simple chances in a 1-1 draw. A return to the Reserves has frustrated Randall, but this week he sealed a move to exciting League Two outfit Rotherham. Manager Ronnie Moor admitted it was a major coup;
“He is a fantastic player. I imagine he will be ear-marked on Saturday for someone to go straight through him as a `welcome to Division Two’. It will be a shock a shock for him to come from the Champions League at Arsenal to Rotherham in League Two.”
“There’s been six or seven Championship clubs that have gone mad that we’ve got him because they really wanted to take him, but Graham Brown, our chief scout, has done a fantastic job.”
The hope is that Randall will star in League Two during the three month loan spell ahead of a possible move to a Championship club in January to complete the season. Successful progression in both leagues will see Wenger re-open the door, having told the media this week he still believed in the prospect.
Randall will begin this important chapter of his career against Southend on Saturday.
It is no way a last chance. It is more of a good luck, i wish you all the best.
I think he will make it but he will be a player that comes up through the lower leagues. I bet by 25 he will be in the prem.
why would he go to league 2 if championship clubs were after him?
he appears to have premiership class any time i’ve seen him play – hope he does well and returns to the fold!
it will be interesting to see, he compared him to Anthony Stokes as a late developer…especially thinking about what Jamie says about him not really looking interested last year at Dons, could be lots of reasons behind that hard to speculate why
Stokes was not a late developer. He just found he level of competition. He is made for the scottish league. Stokes played well on his loan at Falkirk.
He’s a goner. Tidy technical player, maybe lacks some aggression. maybe lacks ambition otherwise he would have kicked on. Good luck to him though.
I have a feeling that Randall will not in the first team in the future. Just my gut that all! :)
has always looked a bit lazy for me
Good technical creative player but seems to need too long on the ball. Always looked a little disinterested when I have seen him play (most recently v AFC Wimbledon).
Also – ALWAYS seems to try something over elaborate when something simple will do just as well.
Ergo – has appeared to veer between cocky and complacent in my view. No long term future at Arsenal, methinks…
Fabregas,Nasri,Ramsey,Song,Eastmond,Rosicky,Wilshere,Denilson,Diaby and er…Randall.I don’t see it.He’ll be passed by the likes of Ozyakup and Ebecilio by the time he returns.I’d get used to life in the lower leagues if I was him
Randall is a good lad with lots of potential,what he is lacking is self believe and single-minded determination. He needs to really have a go at things with more aggression and desire,there is nothing to lose in this spell. It will be a pity not to show what he could really offer. Wish him all the luck and fighting spirit. Time is now.
he has no chance at arsenal.
i am a bit concerned about vela, i think he should be loaned out to a club like bolton, wigan or fulham.
szczesny has to get a new contract NOW, we cant have wenger fucking this one up, he is an exceptional talent FFS.
Although I hope Fabi carries on playing as he has been lately
It just shows that potential and talent alone is not enough to succed in PL. YOu need the right mental attitude to. Nobody can dispute Randalls enormous talent. But if the head is not in the right place you wont make it..
Randall is a great player, just not special. And you got to be very special to make it at Arsenal
What is it about this site that it attracts soooooooo many pretentious twats who think they are football scouts and coaches?
It really is annoying and stops any sort of debate as these fuckers act like theirs is the only opinion of merit.
Randall is a decent player and has looked fine when I have seen him. I aint going to pontificate about what he lacks. I’ll leave that to the pseudo pundits.
So you are saying that peoples opinions are causing the end of debates but you aren’t going to give an opinion because it is wrong. Yah that makes loads of sense.
I don’t agree with people that say every player is horrible and needs to be sold but some signs are obvious. A 21 year old going on a loan to a league 2 team is not going to make it at Arsenal. If you want to argue that then you are the pretentious twat who thinks he is a scout and knows more than the Arsenal staff. We are not the ones that sent him on this loan. We are just seeing the obvious.
I don’t think this is the last chance for Randall I have watch a few of his games that he have played for us, and to me he kind of remind me alot to the like of Carrick, Pirlo, and the like…those deep midfield players that keep the ball moving but have to play next to a ball winner whenever they play. Currently Randall is Arsenal class technically and would fit in on Arsenal first team.
However I feel his only down fall currently is his slight body frame, which make him a liability especially at the way the game is play currently, but as he get older and peak physically he should have a very good professional career.
Carrick was exactly the same way when he, Joe Cole and Lampard were coming through for West Ham the other two left him behind but as he mature you know can see the result…..So I feel the management feel the same ways which is why he been around for a long time and the Boss statement just give us an insight into how they feel about the player.
Fantastic ability but lacking a lil bit desire.Hope he comes thru.
Goodbye Mark, you’ve never really thrilled or impressed for a couple of years now and too many players are knocking at the midfield entrance door for you ever to get a chance to play regularly. You just seem to be one of those exceptional youngsters that doesn’t really progress as you mature. Sorry, but Arsenal is not for you, and unless there is massive improvement, you are not for Arsenal
could be as guest pointed out, might be aggression rather than attitude…the beautiful aggression than for example wilshere has and henry had. After all just that extra aggression, belief and focus adds vital tenths of seconds to his game which might be the difference
bit like jay simpson i tink he wil end up in de championship
I think he lost motivation because he was in a no-win situation. He was good and the qualities were there but he wasn’t as good as Wilshere or Merida and they weren’t as far along as Nasri, Ramsey, Denilson, Song, Diaby and Fabregas. It must be a bit soul destroying to know you have good ability but to still find yourself ranked very low because the club is just full of so much potentially world-class talent.
Randall lives about 3 doors down from me in Milton Keynes. His missus is amazing!