So, given our lack of talent, what do we make of these happenings?

[Mel Brennan]

PSG's highly-rated 16-year-old forward, Gael N'Lundulu, has chosen to join Portsmouth, according to a report in the French press. He has apparently rejected the option of staying in Paris because of the money being offered.

N'Lundulu is said to have wanted a professional contract, but instead was offered a trainee contract by Paris St Germain.

"He has turned down our offer of a trainee contract," Bertrand Reuzeau, head of youth football at PSG, told French newspaper Le Parisien.

"We were not prepared to do more for a young lad who is yet to prove himself. It was a financial choice."

N'Lundulu told Le Parisien: "The offer from Portsmouth was very interesting. If PSG had really wanted to keep me, I would have stayed."

-----

Arsenal have signed defensive midfielder Clement Chantome from Paris St Germain.

The 20-year-old is a PSG youth product in the mould of former Juventus and Chelsea star Didier Deschamps, with a precocious strength, skill and determination that have garnered him a place in the France Under-21 squad as well as a fixture in the PSG first team.

Chantome is one of three young French talents on the verge of signing for Arsenal. Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri and 17-year-old holding midfielder Francis Croquelin (the "new Makelele") are also believed to be in advanced stages of negotiation with the North London club, Croquelin having completed a successful trial with the Gunners...

We've got to strategize in ways where we can keep talent...if these kids are being let go, who is so much better that we're keeping???

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

We really shouldn't say that PSG lack talent. Their academy is one of the best in France, and given that Paris tends to produce quite an outstanding patch of players (Henry, Ben Arfa, Anelka, Gallas, Ménez, Obertan, Evra), it's likely the club will be able to absorb these departures. That is not to say that Chantôme and Nlundulu are insignificant. Chantôme was one of the bright spots according to many this season, and Nlundulu is considered one of the better, though not the best, of the burgeoning U-16 team. Yet the club has thus far managed to hold on to Sakho, Sankharé, Digard, among others, so I would not fret too much.

The thing is, though, why PSG have struggled to maintain their status in the top division is because the talent isn't there among the bunch of veterans on the team. Let's face it, Diané, Ceará, Mendy, Bourillon and the bunch of anonymous Brazilians are basically of the weakness. The academy guys, particularly Sakho, who's been surclassé by the FFF as he's now an U-19 international despite being an U-18, have done alright in their matches given that they don't have the slightest bit of experience at the top level. When as they gradually gain that experience, I think PSG will have a very strong team, as long as they hold on to a decent amount of these starlets. In the meanwhile, though, as we saw this season, they can struggle given that the veteran players or the off-season acquisitions aren't good enough.

[SportBoy333]

It makes me sick to see nondescript teams like Portsmouth stealing PSG players. It makes me sick to see Arsenal stealing youth players when they have the money to buy established stars.

I dont think anything can be done unless Platini and UEFA win and that doesnt appear likely. All you can do is hope these 2 guys flop and fail in England and then they'll have to come crawling back to France. Its only 2 players and I'm sure PSG has plenty of young talent around.

[Gotham PSG]

Arsenal have signed defensive midfielder Clement Chantome from Paris St Germain.

The 20-year-old is a PSG youth product in the mould of former Juventus and Chelsea star Didier Deschamps, with a precocious strength, skill and determination that have garnered him a place in the France Under-21 squad as well as a fixture in the PSG first team.

Chantome is one of three young French talents on the verge of signing for Arsenal. Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri and 17-year-old holding midfielder Francis Croquelin (the "new Makelele") are also believed to be in advanced stages of negotiation with the North London club, Croquelin having completed a successful trial with the Gunners...[/I]

What is the source on this?
Chantome hasn't signed anything, and he won't sign anything this summer, he stays in Paris, no ifs ands or buts.
Or let Wenger pay 10 million, cash. And fork over Rosicky
If he wants, we'll give him Everton, for free.

As to n'Dunloplulu, never heard of him, but a 16 year old has to be really good if he wants money. And if the academy itself thought he wasn't worth it, well let me tell you, that little bastard is welcome to waste his career in godforsaken Porthsmouth or wherever the heck that town is. I would understand if he was a Messi, but if he was, we would have heard about him. Instead, he'll end up another le Tallec, another Sin-Pongolle, another Gourcuff another... well there are so many more examples. The point is, those guys are good now, but they are going to teams that have inexistent academies, meaning that while they can get the cash now, they will miss out on the extra couple of years of training they could have had in France, so in 5 years, they will be forgotten and stuck in Portsmouth, when all the buddies they left behind in France will have passed them. The tortoise vs the hare

Bah, we have Clement, Digard, Chantome, perhaps Bourillon (not a bad end of season, knowing he wasn't in top form for the first half year), then there's Mulumbu coming back, N'goyi, Sankhare, and I'm losing names. Not all will make it, and I think that Chantome is the one with the brightest future, but we can manage.

btw, I just remembered: Chantome's first game, against Lyon at the Trophee des Champions two years ago. Could his last be against Lyon again, at the Final saturday?
Hope not!

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

Given that he's a defender, I'd think that many would argue Sakho has the best career ahead of him, especially if one is to believe what the folks at the FFF think. Nevertheless, Chantôme is obviously a major part of the team now, and losing him would be a blow.

I have some additional info via my cousins in Paris about the Nlundulu situation. Apparently, it was management's refusal to sign him to a professional, as opposed to youth, contract that influenced his decision to go abroad. It appears that Nlundulu or his agent think he is good enough to warrant treatment à la Saivet/Ben Arfa as guys who signed pro deals as U-16s, though many would argue that Nlundulu wouldn't be the best of his class even. In any case, Sunderland I think signed Jean-Yves Mvoto a few months ago, and he's turning out nowhere as good as Sakho, Sankharé, Mulumbu, Ngoyi, N'Gog, Arnaud, etc.

I actually hope that won't be the case with Nlundulu, but I would not be shocked if it turns out to be that way. Though at Portsmouth, as opposed to a Big 4 club, theoretically he'd be able to break into the senior team sooner, which would be good if it happened. After all, another Gaël, Gaël Kakuta at Chelsea, has been thought to be training with the senior team soon. And we all know how well a certain Gaël Clichy has done after a couple of seasons of being a backup.

[Mel Brennan]

What is the source on this?
Chantome hasn't signed anything, and he won't sign anything this summer, he stays in Paris, no ifs ands or buts.
Or let Wenger pay 10 million, cash. And fork over Rosicky
If he wants, we'll give him Everton, for free...

No great sources, Sky SPorts intimates here, another site confirms but itself is dicey... http://arsenal-mania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=36880

I hope they're wrong...

[mpeabody]

I haven't heard anything but rumors about Arsenal signing Chantome yet.

Sakho is the one I would be concerned about losing, but the way the defense played this year I would think he'd get plenty of time next season.

The thing about having a good academy is that you have a lot of players you can let go since you're producing a decent number that will stay. For all the young players Arsenal sign they sell an equal number every year.

[SuperSebGrimaldi]

Sakho has an 18 million Euro buyout clause, I believe. Also, the guy, according to interviews, loves the club, so while I think no doubt someday he will be wearing the shirt of one among the biggest of European clubs, I certainly don't think he's heading out that soon, especially as now, as aforementioned, he's in the U-19s (as opposed to U-18s) and has seen his reputation increase exponentially. Sankharé appears somewhat arrogant but I also believe he is someone the team should not lose as if he develops his defensive game more (after all, he is classified as a defensive midfielder), I believe he could be unstoppable with his technical ability, too.