Veteran English manager Russell Slade has classed Joe Aribo in the same bracket as Harry Kane when it comes to the most talented youngster he’s worked with.
Slade, 60, handed a teenage Kane his professional debut when he was on loan at Leyton Orient.
He also gave Aribo his top-team bow when he was in charge at Charlton.
Alongside Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa, Slade knew all three were destined for the top after clapping eyes on them.
Having bossed 15 different English teams including Notts County, Sheffield United, Leicester, Grimsby, Brighton, Cardiff City, Leyton Orient, Coventry and Charlton, Slade feels he knows what he is talking about.
“Sometimes young players can pleasantly surprise you by what they go on to achieve in their career.
“But I would like to think I have an eye for a player having worked in the game all these years.
“And when I saw Joe, I just knew that he would go on and make something of himself because he had everything.
“There were two youth players who were outstanding when I took over at Charlton and that’s why I wanted them training with us and involved with the first team.
“The two were Konsa, who is at Aston Villa, and Joe Aribo.
“They looked so promising and I was really impressed when I first caught a glimpse of them at the club.
“I gave Harry Kane his debut at 17 when he was on loan at Leyton Orient and Konsa and Aribo were in the same bracket for me.
“They just had something different about them.
“They were always going to make a decent living in football and it gives me great pleasure to see where they all are now.
“Of course, I couldn’t have told you Kane would be England captain and one of the best strikers in the world.
“He was just a bag of bones at Orient when he was a teenager. But I tell you what, he could still lose you in a telephone box — and even back then his attitude was absolutely extraordinary.
“You’d have thought he would want to get straight back to Spurs’ training ground, which was less than a mile away from us, after we had finished our morning session.
“But he would stay at our place for hours on end just practising on his own.
“Joe had those exact same traits and that is why I’m not in the least bit surprised he is on the rise.
“There is no point in having talent without the application and attitude, but Joe was never going to fail on that score.”
3 Comments
“There is no use having talent without the application and the attitude”. Those are really wise words sir. Talent alone is not enough for one to achieve greatness, you have to apply that talent through constant training (hardwork), determination and humility. Also you need to have the right attitude, the I will never give up attitude, the im gonna make it no matter what attitude because there will be alot of challenges and obstacles on the way and if you don’t have the right attitude, you could find yourself being discarded or even giving up when these challenges arises.
This is great bro. I’m saving it
With any technically sound manager Joe Aribo will do greater things with such strange talent blessed with Messi-like foot works and bizarre occasional shot power combined with accuracy from no where. Imagine a Joe under the tutelage of Pep or Hansi flick? Hmmm