Ex-Arsenal Academy Director Says Club Turned Down Harry Kane for Being Overweight
Harry Kane broke Arsenal hearts once again after he scored the only goal in the latest North London Derby. His header to see off the Gunners marked his 101st Premier League goal, and his seventh goal in eight games against his bitter North London rivals.
The Englishman really is the present and future of Tottenham Hotspur. But things can have been so different had the 24-year-old not been let go by Arsenal many years ago.
At 8 years old, Kane joined Arsenal's academy. After just one year with the Gunners he was let go and eventually he would find himself being welcomed at Spurs. It is easy to look back now and see what a mistake Arsenal made, but the club's former academy director Liam Brady has finally revealed why the Gunners turned Kane down.
According to Brady, who was speaking to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, Kane was turned away at Arsenal for being overweight: "Unfortunately it was like that," said Brady, as quoted by Marca. "He was fat, not very athletic and we were wrong."
A former Gunner himself, Liam Brady was the director of Arsenal's academy from 1996 to 2013. Arsenal's youth system was very successful under Brady, where they won three FA Youth Cups in 2000, 2001, and 2009.
There have also been a number of success stories of Arsenal's academy. Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Francis Coquelin, Alex Iwobi, Hector Bellerin, and Wojciech Szczesny were all graduates of Arsenal's academy who went on the play for the first team in recent years. Even Cesc Fabregas was briefly part of Arsenal's youth setup.
But for Arsenal, Kane will be the one that got away. The striker looks certain to lead to front line for England in the World Cup this summer, and will likely continue to punish Arsenal for many years to come.
