He saw Jack Wilshere break through the academy to join the first team of Arsenal before making his debut for England. He did the same with Bukayo Saka. Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi are just two other names, Roy Massey oversaw the development of so many talented youngsters into successful senior professionals during his 16-year tenure with Arsenal.
Still, there’s one name that has the potential to create nightmares for Mr. Massey, who served Arsenal in the club’s youth department. He let Harry Kane go after deeming him not quite good enough for The Gunners!
“You know, every time he scored a goal for Tottenham and now for England, I do scratch my head a little bit over what might have happened if he’d have stayed at Arsenal Football Club,” Massey admits over a lengthy phone call with Tribalfootball.com, laying bare the reasoning for cutting the England skipper loose.
“Years ago, before the youth academy at Arsenal started in 1998, you would be looking at lads aged 14 and 15 years of age when they were going through puberty. Academy football came in and then you’re looking at eight-year-olds and how can you tell what an eight-year-old is going to be like by the time he gets to 19 or 20?” Massey asks rhetorically before continuing.
“There were several lads in that sort of situation, but of course Harry Kane was exceptional. He was a very quiet lad and probably didn’t have the physical attributes that we thought was needed. Wrongly, we used to think about physical qualities at nine, 10 and 11 years of age that boys would continue to have those physical qualities when they’re 19 and 20.
“If they didn’t have those physical qualities like strength and pace, maybe they’d fail as they got older. But obviously, that’s been turned on its head and Harry Kane is one perfect example who proved that at 11 or 12 years of age, he didn’t have the physical qualities, but he gained them as he went through puberty.
“That is different for all youngsters. But the thing is, I do remember, he was a lovely lad. He was so keen and enthusiastic about his game. And looking back, he had a very good touch on the ball. His skills on the ball were very good. But when he played at nine, 10 and 11 at Arsenal, there were much quicker, stronger lads with bigger personalities. Perhaps he was overshadowed a little bit.”
However, while he may have winced with every goal the now Bayern Munich striker struck in a Tottenham shirt, Massey does give himself some leeway. The former Academy director reminding us that Kane was coming through as a junior at Arsenal in a golden age for the club – and its senior goalscorers.
“But I do think also, if he’d come in and signed for Arsenal at 16 or 17 in those days, he’d have been competing with Thierry Henry to get in the first team at Arsenal, which was Arsene Wenger’s wonderful team. And maybe he might not have had the chance to continue his career at Arsenal,” Massey, confidently, insists.
Roy Massey tells all about his career in his book – “A Life in Football and a Coach to the Stars” from Pitch Publishing which you can buy here.
