Kristian Arnstad burst the screen the week behind once morest Bruges. The 18-year-old Norwegian was the best player on the pitch. Vincent Kompany had also underlined his performance while trying not to take the big head.
“Kristian is a very stable kid”says the coach of Anderlecht. “He behaved in training as he has done in recent weeks. He has had a logical evolution for a few years. He had a difficult game 18 months ago and has just put out a big performance. It’s up to him to do everything so that it’s not just one game. He has to be the best in every game and fight for his place in the team.”
The young playmaker also has to worry regarding what’s going on behind the scenes. Anderlecht wants to extend his contract which ends in 2023 and the negotiations are dragging on a bit.
“The choice is simple”says Kompany. “Anderlecht is one of the best clubs to develop as a young player. We have seen it often enough, those who leave too early have problems. And I also want to point out a big difference before the past: we can now reach the absolute top by playing a few years in Anderlecht. Take recently Sambi Lokonga and Alexis Saelemaekers who play in Arsenal and AC Milan. At the time, we had to leave at 18 or 19 years old maximum to dream of going to this kind of club. And first you had to go through an intermediate stage.”
Kompany hopes that the addition of the U21 teams in D1B will further accelerate this development. “It’s even crucial. And everything has to be put in place with a single objective: to raise the overall level of Belgian football and develop young talents.”
He therefore opposes the rules that are on the table limiting access to the D1B to certain players who already have playing time in the first team. “For me, it doesn’t matter how many games you play. Only age has to be taken into consideration. You have to have a bit of common sense. Let’s settle that and then we talk regarding infrastructure and other things.”
