Arsenal’s former badboy and future ‘next big thing’ Daniel Crowley slams youth system for failing to prepare kids after being forced to move to Holland
Young midfielder is set to start for Willem II in their Dutch Cup final against giants Ajax on Sunday
Sponsored by
FORMER Arsenal prospect Daniel Crowley has hit out at the academy for failing to prepare kids for first team football.
The 21-year-old midfielder is set to start for Willem II in their Dutch Cup final against giants Ajax on Sunday.
Once touted as a Gunners wonderkid, Crowley's career failed to take off before he eventually moved abroad in 2017.
During his time in England, Crowley would endure loan spells at Barnsley and Oxford which ended following clashes with coaches over a lack of first team football.
Speaking to Goal, he blasted: "The thing with Arsenal is they play a certain way and not many teams play that way – and I think that’s a problem as well.
“They don’t teach you about going on loan to the lower league clubs - to go from such a big club like Arsenal, playing with great players, to then playing a completely different way in League One.
“That’s what’s wrong with the youth system in England. That’s nothing against the first team because the first team have to win, they don’t have the time really to worry about the young players. So, I don’t put any blame on them.
They don’t teach you about going on loan to the lower league clubs. That’s what’s wrong with the youth system in England.
Daniel Crowley
“But something does have to change and that’s why everyone is coming out to Holland and Germany, because they need game time.”
Crowley has since found his feet in Holland, where he has been forced to shrug off his bad boy reputation.
He added: "I had quite a bad name in England, which was fair, but the thing is – I was still a kid.
"I was this kid in a man’s world and it was really hard. Just because I was ready with my feet footballing-wise, it doesn’t mean that I was ready maturity-wise.
“You have to grow up so fast and I wasn’t ready to do that.
“I feel like I was a bit of a scapegoat at times. But don’t get me wrong, I didn’t always handle things in the right way."
Crowley has played 37 times this season, scoring seven and assisting five.
Sunday's cup final, in which Willem II will be hoping to end a 34-year trophy drought, is by far Crowley's biggest game of his career.
latest Arsenal news
And not short of confidence, he believes he is still good enough to play for Arsenal.
He added: "I do see players from my age group playing in the Premier League now and I think, 'How are they playing there and I’m not?'.
"Do I think I'm good enough to still be at Arsenal? One hundred per cent. But there are no real regrets because that’s just the way I am. Every career is different.”
