Coul the rise of PSG have implications for Arsenal

Thanks for the response Sportsczy

I only mention the 1 horse race in a hypothetical sense, i also agree that the pride of fans will spur on their clubs to meet higher standards or at the very least strive to compete.

The french league indeed has an abundance of talent atm, with the likes of Sakho, Varane , Remy, Hazard being the most talked about.

Admittidely i don't know much about french social dynamics, but as you discribed your situation we in South Africa face the same problems, as football is not seen as luxury entertainment.

Ajax Cape Town vs Santos is the Biggest derby in Western Cape province, the ticket prices was lowered to almost R10 i believe ,which is about less than 1 euro , you'd think that would be enough incentive for anyone to watch the game, but you'd be wrong the stadium wasn't even filled.

Iceman wrote:

Adit wrote:Arsenals triumph years was certainly due to a huge amount of french players,so it will certainly have a Bad effect on Arsenal.Great thread btw.

How so? So because our best years included french players, then PSG will have a bad effect on us even though our team isn't nearly as French as it was back then?

I really would like you to elaborate

Best french players wont jump into wengers promises too easily,there is always PSG.

Adit wrote:

Iceman wrote:

Adit wrote:Arsenals triumph years was certainly due to a huge amount of french players,so it will certainly have a Bad effect on Arsenal.Great thread btw.

How so? So because our best years included french players, then PSG will have a bad effect on us even though our team isn't nearly as French as it was back then?

I really would like you to elaborate

Best french players wont jump into wengers promises too easily,there is always PSG.

Who says we have to buy french players?

How can we be sure PSG are going to to be almighty and all-conquering?

Even with Lyon being there with their 7 consecutive titles we've purchased players from Ligue 1 just fine.

Arsenal will still be an attractive proposition for players from France because of the past success certain French players have had with us.

Arsenal are the by far most french team outside france for quite some times now.An introduction of a big club will always attract best french talents to there.If you like it or not ,arsenals french player influence can not be denied.

Quick answer:



No. Our so called 'reliance' on French players is vastly overstated. and if you think it all originates from wenger, he wont be around for too much longer (especially if we keep failing to deliver)

Most french players love Arsenal, and they would turn down big money to just play for Arsenal.

Gervinho just did that, he turned down Man city and I thing PSG to play for Arsenal.

There is a big difference btw Lyon over the years and PSG now.Lyon cant match the wages offered by the likes of Arsenal and other similar big clubs.But now PSG can so i do think PSG will be more attractive to french players from now than other foreign clubs more so if they establish themselves as a force in cl in future.

But dont think it will really affect Arsenal more than most other clubs as they arent really as dependent on french players as being said.

Adit wrote:Arsenal are the by far most french team outside france for quite some times now.An introduction of a big club will always attract best french talents to there.If you like it or not ,arsenals french player influence can not be denied.

"By far" ? I just showed you that in our youth team we only have one good French youth product, and in our starting XI we only have 2 French players. You make it sound like our whole team is 100% French which isn't even true. If anything, we are becoming less and less French as every year passes by.

Do we have French players? Yes. Is it overstated by the media? Hell yes. Will PSG affect us ? Maybe, but not as much as you'd think.

Arsenal don't even offer that much for players. We have been in contention with other clubs for the signature of some players, but we still come out on top even though we don't offer as much in terms of the transfer fee and thats because players want to come here. PSG might change that, but it won't affect us as much because Arsenal are starting to rely on more local talents, and on talents from countries other than France now.

One big factor is will PSG give youth a chance . Being a big club doesnt attract the best youngsters as they need playing time and development , something which Wenger and Arsenal seem to manage pretty well.

And of course , big club or not , PSG is one of the most hated clubs in France , not all French would want to join them.

most of the big superstars at Arsenal have been French over the past 15 years. That's undeniable. But that has changed because Arsenal has a lot of competition now. All the top clubs in Europe actively recruit and have created relationships... that's the key.

Iceman, last year, Sagna, Clichy, Nasri, Kos and, when healthy, Diaby, were very key to Arsenal. That's a lot of French players. It's not overstated. This year, Sagna, Nasri perhaps and Kos are going to be key. 3/11 of your lineup is still a lot.

sportsczy wrote:most of the big superstars at Arsenal have been French over the past 15 years. That's undeniable. But that has changed because Arsenal has a lot of competition now. All the top clubs in Europe actively recruit and have created relationships... that's the key.

Iceman, last year, Sagna, Clichy, Nasri, Kos and, when healthy, Diaby, were very key to Arsenal. That's a lot of French players. It's not overstated. This year, Sagna, Nasri perhaps and Kos are going to be key. 3/11 of your lineup is still a lot.

Diaby wasn't key...key to our failure maybe, but not a key player.
As I said, Arsenal are becoming less and less French as the years go by. We had 4 players last year and we're going to have 2 or 3 players this year. 3/11 is not a lot if you compare it to how many we had in the squad a few seasons back. Once again, our best player in each position is not French which is a big change from how it was beforehand.

Am I completely denying our French connection? Of course not, because that would be absurd. I just see it as equally absurd to think that PSG will affect us "that" badly. We're becoming less dependent on French players as shown by our youth products. There are only 3 french players in the reserve team (I think).

Even with their riches, I don't see PSG holding a manopoly over all the French talent. Considering the high number of good players that come out of French acadamies, everyone will surely get their fair share.

You shouldn't underestimate the extent of Arsenal's scouting in France, either. It's not like we have to go buy the mainstream talents, do we? We've been linked with the likes of Sakho for years but we got Koscielny instead and I don't recall a big line of French clubs wanting Koscielny at that time.

There are only 3 french players in the reserve team (I think).

Two, actually. Coquelin and Sunu.

GoonerJay29 wrote:Even with their riches, I don't see PSG holding a manopoly over all the French talent. Considering the high number of good players that come out of French acadamies, everyone will surely get their fair share.

You shouldn't underestimate the extent of Arsenal's scouting in France, either. It's not like we have to go buy the mainstream talents, do we? We've been linked with the likes of Sakho for years but we got Koscielny instead and I don't recall a big line of French clubs wanting Koscielny at that time.

There are only 3 french players in the reserve team (I think).

Two, actually. Coquelin and Sunu.

Everybody's on the same players... but a player was always going to automatically choose Arsenal if they came knocking because local clubs weren't willing to pay the wages Arsenal does for unproven players. Now, that won't be the case. Most kids will not want to leave France (their parents prefer that they stay local) and PSG offers a very tangible option. The youth system here is very, very organized. There aren't many unknowns.

Arsenal will attract players, because of their history, they always did and always will. PSG might become a big team but it will still be the French league, and the attraction of playing in the EPL will be in Arsenals favor as well.

white_star wrote:Arsenal will attract players, because of their history, they always did and always will. PSG might become a big team but it will still be the French league, and the attraction of playing in the EPL will be in Arsenals favor as well.

Maybe for the English. For the French, they care about the CL and exposure... could care less about the EPL. If they get it all in Ligue 1, all the better. The truly elite clubs carry weight (Madrid, barca, Man u, milan, etc.)... and Arsenal has lost a that glitz. If Arsenal wins trophies again, then they will get that elite pull. But by then, i have a feeling that PSG will be as much, if not more, elite.

In the end, it's mostly about the money for professional footballers and sportsmen in general.

Also, like someone already said, will PSG really go for youngsters? Seeing as the other similar clubs (City, for example) have gone for instant success and big money spending, I'm willing to bet that PSG will also be doing the same thing. They will be spending huge amounts, and they won't necessarily be looking at the talented young players in France. Thats what I think anyway

sportsczy wrote:Everybody's on the same players... but a player was always going to automatically choose Arsenal if they came knocking because local clubs weren't willing to pay the wages Arsenal does for unproven players. Now, that won't be the case. Most kids will not want to leave France (their parents prefer that they stay local) and PSG offers a very tangible option. The youth system here is very, very organized. There aren't many unknowns.

So PSG are just going to sign every young player Arsenal happen to have an interest in? They're going to have one loaded academy...

Arsenal might have declined a bit recently but we're still bigger than a vast majority of French clubs, including PSG. Now I'm not saying we can just sign anyone we want, or that these kids are obligated to join us, just that we are still an attractive proposition for kids.

-sportsczy i think you do have a point there, the players would want to stay in their country if the team will be a major CL contender.

I still think Arsenal might snap up a few French youngster here and there, especially if they start winning again.

PSG will be like Man city they will only go after big name players, they want to win now and so no Unknown talent would be given a chance to play.

young talent will definitely move to arsenal, big spending PSG would more likely buy proven players.

Of course PSG is not going to snatch up everyone... but they're going to have their pick now. Also, Marseille, Lyon and Lille will have to up their game if PSG start to dominate. Finally, Bordeaux is building just a gorgeous stadium. I think they will jump in the game too.

Biggest problem for Ligue 1 has been money. To finance operations, they've been force to sell players they didn't want to. If that gets solved, watch out.