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‘Arteta’s attention to detail is ridiculous’
Maidstone United defender Taylor Foran could hardly have had a better football education after growing up at Arsenal.Foran spent 13 years with the Gunners and, by the end of his time with the north London giants, he was training daily with Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad.
Taylor Foran, left, joins the celebrations after Hamzad Kargbo's injury-time equaliser at Yeovil in the FA Trophy - a tie the Stones lost on penalties. Picture: Helen CooperReleased in the summer of 2024, centre-back Foran joined Bromley - then new to the Football League - and now finds himself part of Maidstone’s National League South promotion push.The 22-year-old excelled on loan at the Gallagher Stadium, with United conceding just once in his six appearances, and that led to a permanent move, signing an 18-month deal.His upbringing at Arsenal made him the player he is today and that can only benefit the Stones.“The attention to detail at Arsenal and the sorts of things they go into, looking back, it’s just crazy,” said Foran, who captained the under-18s and made 13 appearances for the Premier League 2 side.“Being around the first team pretty much every day, it was that environment you want to be in. “We trained every day with them, so we would always get a taster to see what it was like. “We always aspired to be there with them and we got that pretty much every day, so we’d go into games feeling strong, confident and ready to beat teams.”
Maidstone United defender Taylor Foran made his comeback from a hamstring injury against Charlton U21s. Picture: Helen CooperFor a young pro making his way, it was an incredible experience going up against world-class Premier League players on the training ground.It helped his game no end and he also benefited from advice from Gunners boss Arteta and legendary centre-back Steve Bould, who also coached at the Emirates Stadium.Foran, who got on well with first-team stars Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus, said: “You get used to it but it’s still extremely hard.“Similar players have the same characteristics and they like to do the same things and pick up the same positions, so you get to grips with it, and you just have to show yourself and prove yourself during training.“You can’t play with fear. They always said play with confidence, play with freedom and don’t hide behind things, put your chest out and show you’ve got the ability. “I had quite a few chats with Mikel Arteta. He was always very tactical, the attention to detail is just ridiculous, the things that he wanted us to do.“We were on one tour and I remember him saying you can win as many football games as you want but set-pieces will win you leagues, and now look at Arsenal. “You’ve got to be a threat in both boxes.
Maidstone United centre-half Taylor Foran says he’s a head-it-and-kick-it defender. Picture: Helen Cooper“If you’re a goalscoring centre-back, it makes your market value higher.“If you’re stopping goals at one end and scoring them at the other, you’ll do well.“I also remember working with Steve Bould and he gave me a good bit of advice for body shape as a defender.“He said you’ve got to be able to see both corner flags, at diagonal ends of the pitch, so you can either step in and close the centre-forward down or track a ball in behind.” Foran made his comeback from a hamstring injury as Maidstone beat Charlton under-21s 3-2 in the Kent Senior Cup last week.And he appeared as a late substitute at the weekend as George Elokobi’s side lost to Yeovil on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the FA Trophy third round.All being well, he’ll be in the squad for the Stones’ league game at Hampton & Richmond this Saturday (3pm).Foran enjoyed his loan spell at the Gallagher and was only too pleased to complete a permanent switch. “It’s definitely the right environment for me,” he said. “Stepping in front of the fans, and in front of all the boys, it felt like I was at home, so it couldn’t have gone any better.
Maidstone United defender Taylor Foran. Picture: Helen Cooper“Coming into this environment, it felt like staying in the league, from the facilities to the staff to the players, everything. It just felt right for me.“Bromley were happy for me to go and hopefully progress my career and Maidstone were happy to have me.”Maidstone fans immediately took to Foran after a commanding performance on his debut at Dagenham.A half-time substitute for the injured George Fowler, he was a dominant figure at the back in United’s 2-1 win. He continued to impress before suffering a hamstring injury against Tonbridge at the start of November.“I just came on at Dagenham and did what I had to do, head it and kick, that’s my bread and butter,” said Taylor, reflecting on his Stones debut.“I like to think I’m a head-it-and-kick-it defender but I’ve also got that other side of the game where I can step in and play passes into midfield and things like that.”