Aarab and Djoum: “Teaching Anderlecht youth grinta”
WEDNESDAY, 11 JUNE 2025, 09:45 - lajoya
YOUTH Naïm Aarab and Arnaud Djoum will soon start their adventure as youth coaches at Anderlecht. The duo already know very well what they want to focus on. “Anderlecht's youth are geniuses with their feet. If we manage to turn them into geniuses in terms of mentality and leadership as well, you create players worth 20 million euros every season.”
Aarab and Djoum made the switch from Union to Anderlecht. The national champion still made them an offer to stay, but according to the duo, it didn't amount to much. Aarab will become an assistant at Anderlecht for the Futures in 1B. Djoum will work with the U16.
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Continue reading “This season we won twice with Union in the Cup (U19, ed.) against Anderlecht and I saw a lack of grinta each time,” Aarab says. “The players have to give everything until the last minute. We are not going to teach the young Anderlecht player to dribble or pass. But the culture of winning and giving up in the face of adversity we want to grind into it. In Neerpede, everyone knows how to play soccer, but not everyone knows how to stay mentally strong in difficult situations.”
Aarab backs up his ambitions with a quote from Jean-François Lenvain, for many years at Anderlecht in the social cell. “The youth of Anderlecht are geniuses with their feet. If we manage to turn them into geniuses in terms of mentality and leadership as well, you will create players worth 20 million euros every season.”
Djoum hopes to help as many players as possible build great careers. “In the short term, my goal is for as many players as possible to make the step up to the A team. If one of them could get playing minutes at the end of the season, that would be great. After all, Lamine Yamal was already a regular in Barcelona's first team at the age of 16.”
Both Aarab and Djoum are already convinced by the project Anderlecht is presenting them with. “Tim Borguet is doing very well. He won't revolutionize Neerpede, but he is changing things for the better. Among other things, by attracting former Brussels professional footballers who are part of the multicultural city. With trainers who have the same vision as the board, Anderlecht can again become a club that scares its opponents.”
