Frank Arnesen "proud" of time at Chelsea

By Michael Penkman, Reporter | 28 March 2013

Frank Arnesen does not think that his time at Chelsea can be seen as a failure.

Frank Arnesen has said that he is "proud" of the job he did as director of youth development at Chelsea.

The Dane, who is currently sporting director at Hamburger SV, spent five years at Stamford Bridge after being lured from his post at Tottenham Hotspur in 2005.

Many of his recruits have struggled to break into the first team, leading some to look sceptically upon his time in West London.

However, Arnesen blames the pressure put on managers in the Premier League for harming the development of youngsters at Stamford Bridge.

"I am very proud of what I did [at Chelsea], I did a fantastic job," Arnesen told the London Evening Standard. "I made the club a lot of money. I bought players for small amounts and they were sold for a lot of money.

"I'm talking about players like [Daniel] Sturridge, [Fabio] Borini and [Miroslav] Stoch — they ended up being sold for about £30m and that pays for the Academy.

"At Chelsea, we had fantastic talent, we built up marvellous players, but they needed to be given a chance and they never were. The pressure is so big. Managers in England are going out and buying players, the level is high, and it is difficult for them because if they lose two or three games, they're gone."

Arnesen resigned from his role as sporting director at Chelsea in November 2010.