• Premier League

Arnesen: Chelsea failing youngsters

Frank Arnesen believes he put the right framework in place at Chelsea © PA Photos

Enlarge

Frank Arnesen has accused Chelsea of stunting the progress of their home grown stars and has suggested that the hard work he put in as the club's sporting director has gone to waste.

Arnesen believes he helped to build an academy of young players who were capable of making their mark on the Chelsea first team, but the club's craving for instant success blocked their progression from the youth ranks.

Naming Daniel Sturridge, Fabio Borini and Miroslav Stoch among the Chelsea stars who were allowed to slip through the club's fingers, Arnesen believes the mentality of English Premier League clubs is not suited to incorporating young stars.

"At Chelsea, we had fantastic talent, we built up marvellous players, but they needed to be given a chance and they never were," Arnesen told the Evening Standard. "The pressure is so big.

"Managers in England are going out and buying players, the level is high, and it is difficult for them because if they lose two or three games, they're gone. Germany has been very good in developing players but also in putting them in the teams, but that is a problem in England."

Arnesen's move from Tottenham to Chelsea in 2005 sparked a furious row between the London clubs, with the former accusing the latter of poaching their sporting director and eventually settling the dispute with a multi-million pound compensation payment.

Ultimately, the deal to secure Arnesen's services did not give Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich the supply line of home grown stars to transform his club into a profitable operation, but the Dane is now working for Hamburg in Germany's Bundesliga and insists he was satisfied with his contribution to the Blues cause.

"I am very proud of what I did (at Chelsea)," he stated. "I did a fantastic job. I made the club a lot of money. I bought players for small amounts and they were sold for a lot of money.

"I'm talking about players like Sturridge, Borini and Stoch. They ended up being sold for about £30 million and that pays for the academy. I am happy with many of the players I signed for Chelsea.

"It is a fantastic club and I loved to be involved there. It is the first result I always look for."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.