Arnesen to join Hamburg as sporting director

[DYC. 7,542]

Arnesen resigns

Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Frank Arnesen has resigned from his position of sporting director effective at the end of this season.

In tendering his resignation Frank said, 'It has been a privilege and an honour for me to work for such a big club with so many great people.

'After six wonderful years I have decided to seek a new challenge when my contract expires at the end of this season.'

'It has been a tremendous journey and I would like to thank everyone at Chelsea, especially Roman [Abramovich], for giving me the incredible opportunity to help build on the club's Academy and youth system along with our greatly talented academy and scouting staff.

'We are now seeing the fruits of that labour as our stated aim was to get one player from the Academy into the first team each year from 2010. We have a great crop of young players now coming through, and I feel it's the right time for me to start looking towards a new challenge.

'The past two years I've worked more closely with the first team as sporting director, and it has been a joy to work alongside Carlo Ancelotti and this exceptionally talented squad and staff.

'It is always difficult to take big decisions like this, but it is entirely my decision. I'm looking forward to continuing my work here until such time as the club decides which way they want to move forward. With that in mind I wanted to make the decision now, giving the club plenty of time to make the necessary plans for the end of the season. I will always be grateful to the club and Chelsea will always be in my heart.

'Chelsea FC chairman Bruce Buck said, 'Frank has spoken to me several times over the past year with regards to seeking new challenges, so his decision comes as no surprise to us. Frank has done an exceptional job here at Chelsea over the last six years and the incredibly strong Academy and youth system Frank leaves behind him is a fitting tribute to his time at Chelsea. We do appreciate that he has given us plenty of notice which gives us time to consider whether and how we restructure the football department.

'Frank has told us he has thoroughly enjoyed his time at Chelsea and we've thoroughly enjoyed having him. On behalf of everyone at the club I thank him for all his efforts and wish him well as he considers his next football challenge.'

[Badboy 1,526]

If I was the manager ...

-Sturridge would play and start more games

-PVA would be 2nd choice left back and not Zhirkov

-Bruma would be 4th choice centre back and not Paulo Ferreria

-while also giving McEachran and Kakuta minutes

-sack Kalou

I'd be a better coach for the kids than Carlo is currently!

[caesarblues 51]

Its official now, i bet txiki will come nextweek

bye frank

[Madmax 9,219]

Arnesen resigns

I hope that Txiki fella is not on his way here. He's got a shoddy record.

[Styles 9,790]

But isn't that kind of contradictive?

Bruma, Kakuta, Van Aanholt, Kalou were all thanks to Arnesen. Kalou is an average player, his development was never to be a world class player nor would he be (nor shouldn't he) a first team starter.

All thanks to Roman actually. Arnesen had the easiest job in the world; find out who the latest hyped up kid is and barge in with Roman's money. It was that simple. No skill required on Arnesen's part. Anybody could do it.

Kalou was bought for about £8m. They obviously had very high hopes for him which he has not lived up to.

[Styles 9,790]

I hope that Txiki fella is not on his way here. He's got a shoddy record.

He can't be any worse than Arnesen and probably won't be earning as much.

[Madmax 9,219]

He can't be any worse than Arnesen and probably won't be earning as much.

Eto'o + 46 mil = Ibra was his brainwave, so were the deals of Chyrgynski and Hleb etc. Has the potential to waste tonnes of our money on shabby deals. And as regards the salary, we don't know about it yet.

[Styles 9,790]

Eto'o + 46 mil = Ibra was his brainwave, so were the deals of Chyrgynski and Hleb etc. Has the potential to waste tonnes of our money on shabby deals. And as regards the salary, we don't know about it yet.

They really weren't.

Guardiola had fallen out with Eto'o and wanted him gone...at any cost. They effectively let him walk and bought Ibrahimvoci for £46m. Guardiola later had a falling out with Ibra and now he's also gone at a huge loss. Guardiola is also the one who instigated the Hleb and Chygrinski deals.

[Madmax 9,219]

They really weren't.

Guardiola had fallen out with Eto'o and wanted him gone...at any cost. They effectively let him walk and bought Ibrahimvoci for £46m. Guardiola later had a falling out with Ibra and now he's also gone at a huge loss. Guardiola is also the one who instigated the Hleb and Chygrinski deals.

They were mate. It's true Pep wanted Eto'o gone at any cost, but it was Txiki who thought of the swap. He was Director of Football at Barca in the Laporta regime and much like Arnesen here when he first arrived, in charge of the club's transfer policy. Bought Chyr for what 20-25 mil, Keirrison for 14 mil, Alves 35 mil, Caceres for 12-14 mil, Henry for 24 mil. The guy has a serious lack of credentials.

[eldo 868]

They really weren't.

Guardiola had fallen out with Eto'o and wanted him gone...at any cost. They effectively let him walk and bought Ibrahimvoci for £46m. Guardiola later had a falling out with Ibra and now he's also gone at a huge loss. Guardiola is also the one who instigated the Hleb and Chygrinski deals.

Isn't the real story that Etoo didn't want to extend his contract, and they didn't want to let him go for free.

On-topic:

You said how Arnesen has the easiest job, how he only needs to search them on net. Don't be stupid, i found page with over 100 young players described as next big things (xyz-the next messi, Drogba,....).

But in reality many of those are just average. It takes a lot more to scout a player and bring him through.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I don't see how this has gone from bad to worse... I've never rated Arnesen. True he's had his fair share of talent that he has been responsible for bringing to the club, but nothing more than that. Does he deserve the massive wage packet he earns, considering the amount of money invested in youth anyway? Probably not. I'm no expert when it comes to roles within a football club, but to me, the people responsible for the successes of van Aanholt, McEachran and so on are the coaches and no-one else.

[Styles 9,790]

Isn't the real story that Etoo didn't want to extend his contract, and they didn't want to let him go for free.

On-topic:

You said how Arnesen has the easiest job, how he only needs to search them on net. Don't be stupid, i found page with over 100 young players described as next big things (xyz-the next messi, Drogba,....).

But in reality many of those are just average. It takes a lot more to scout a player and bring him through.

Yeah you're right. Those are things that are clearly beyond an Arnesen led youth system. He is probably running away because the money has dried up.

[eldo 868]

Yeah you're right. Those are things that are clearly beyond an Arnesen led youth system. He is probably running away because the money has dried up.

I don't know who are you speaking about. I said for non-Chelsea players. Talent that you can find on net, like you said.

[NattyBlue 44]

A loss for the club but I don't see him as being sacked, he's quitting no? Wants something new? Good luck to him

We might actually have some first teamers from the academy yet!

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Chelsea FC chairman Bruce Buck said, 'Frank has spoken to me several times over the past year with regards to seeking new challenges, so his decision comes as no surprise to us. Frank has done an exceptional job here at Chelsea over the last six years and the incredibly strong Academy and youth system Frank leaves behind him is a fitting tribute to his time at Chelsea. We do appreciate that he has given us plenty of notice which gives us time to consider whether and how we restructure the football department

This has nothing to do with Wilkins, unlike how the Daily Mail are spinning this.