According to reports from talkSPORT this morning, Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has claimed the Premier League’s top clubs are ‘going all out’ to improve their youth development.
Rummenigge, who scored 217 goals in 416 appearances during his ten campaigns with the Allianz Arena outfit and claimed back-to-back Ballon d’Ors in 1980 and 1981, was talking to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung.
He believes the Premier League’s top clubs are not only investing their huge television revenues in new signings but also their academies, claiming that Manchester City’s youth set-up is the best he’s ever seen.
Since The Citizens were taken over by Sheikh billionaires in 2008, they’ve been criticised for failing to nurture young talent towards first team level, whilst the majority of academy products to have previously made their senior squad – such as Steven Ireland and Micah Richards – have all left the club.
It’s an accusation that’s also been thrown at Chelsea in recent years. Despite their youth teams winning the UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup for 2015, the only academy product currently enjoying significant status in the Blues’ first team is captain John Terry – who made his debut in 1998 – although 21 year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek received his senior debut under Jose Mourinho last season.
But Rummenigge believes England’s biggest clubs are ‘going all out’ to improve their youth systems. He said; “in view of the increased television money in England, things are not going to get any easier for Bayern in future.
“I’ve taken a look at Manchester City’s youth academy and all I can say is it doesn’t get any better than that. I have also visited Tottenham’s, Arsenal’s and Chelsea’s and it’s the same wherever you go. I can tell you that the English are going all out, also in terms of youth development.”
The Bayern president also revealed Manchester United tabled an offer for Thomas Muller this summer, stating; “I’m talking about figures which were very high indeed. If I were a bank manager then I would have had to accept it. But as a football club we allowed ourselves to close the door on it, and this door is remaining closed. I can promise that to everybody.”