How do you replace a man like Liam Brady? That is what Arsenal tried to do when they appointed Andries Jonker to run the academy in 2014, recruiting him from VfL Wolfsburg where he was assistant manager. Less than three years on, with Jonker heading back to Wolfsburg, Arsenal must accept that they failed.

The timing of Jonker’s departure was a surprise but it had been clear for some time that his tenure at the head of the Arsenal academy was not working, that he did not have the capital required to truly impose himself on the role.

Results are certainly not everything in youth football but they are not nothing either, especially when Jonker had lost the support of Arsene Wenger, the academy staff and the youngsters themselves. Jonker’s departure is inconvenient for the club, but not exactly devastating news.

Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Show all 11 1 /11 Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Joachim Löw Age: 58

Current club: German national team

Honours: Austrian Bundesliga, 2001/02

Fifa World Cup, 2014

Fifa Confederations Cup, 2017 Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Mikel Arteta Age: 35

Current club: Manchester City Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Brendan Rodgers Age: 44

Current club: Celtic

Honours: Championship playoffs

Scottish League Cup

Scottish Premiership Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Leonardo Jardim Age: 42

Current club: Monaco

Honours: Segunda Liga

Superleague Greece

Greek Cup

Ligue 1 Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Patrick Vieira Age: 40

Current club: New York City FC

Honours: None Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Diego Simeone Age: 47

Current club: Atletico Madrid

Honours: Argentine Primera Division x2 (Estudiantes de La Plata and River Plate)

La Liga

Copa del Rey

Spanish Supercup

Europa League

Uefa Super Cup Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Domenico Tedesco Age: 32

Current club: Schalke Bongarts/Getty Images Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Massimiliano Allegri Age: 49

Current club: Juventus

Honours: Serie C1 (Sassuolo)

Serie A x3 (AC Milan, 2x Juventus)

Italian Super Cup x 2 (AC Milan, Juventus)

Coppa Italia x 2 (Juventus) Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Thomas Tuchel Age: 44

Current club: Free agent

Honours: DFB-Pokal Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Luis Enrique Age: 47

Current club: Free agent

Honours: La Liga x2 Copa del Rey x3 Supercopa de Espana Champions League Super Cup Club World Cup Getty Arsenal candidates to replace Arsene Wenger Carlo Ancelotti Age: 58

Current club: Free agent Intertoto Cup (Juventus) Serie A (AC Milan) Coppa Italia (Ac Milan) Supercoppa Italiana (AC Milan) Champions League x3 (AC Milan x2, Real Madrid) Super Cup x2 (AC Milan) Club World Cup (AC Milan) Premier League (Chelsea) FA Cup (Chelsea) Ligue 1 (Paris Saint-Germain) Copa del Rey (Real Madrid) Bundesliga (Bayern Munich) DFL Supercup x2 (Bayern Munich) Bongarts/Getty Images

Jonker was brought in to close the gap on the big-spending academies of Chelsea and Manchester City but the reality of the last few years is that the gap was widening, not narrowing. Chelsea have won the last three FA Youth Cups, beating City in the last two finals, and Arsenal cannot break that stranglehold. They were knocked out of this year’s competition by Blackburn Rovers last December, a disastrous result given the gulf in resources between the teams.

In the UEFA Youth League Arsenal have not made much of an impression under Jonker, failing to get out of the group stage this season. In the Under-23 league Arsenal are at least now in Division One but their Under-18s are still under-performing in their own league.

Wenger in or Wenger out? Arsenal's up and down 2016

When Jonker arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2014 he was optimistic about his ability to change how the academy worked. He wanted to end the club’s policy of giving professional deals to talented youngsters as soon as they turned 17, forcing them to earn their way to lucrative deals instead. The reality of academy football though is that if Arsenal did not give these 17-year-olds then other clubs always will and so Jonker had to back down.

It became clear that Jonker did not, in fact, click with his Arsenal environment in the same way that Brady did. His Dutch frankness did not always go down well with players, staff or parents. There was a feeling that on many issues it was either his way or no way, when youngsters wanted more flexibility. Coaches did not feel as if it was the same positive working environment that it used to be.

Arsenal's academy side have largely underperformed (Getty)