I wholeheartedly agree, although I can't see it ever happening.There should be a cap on the number of players a football club can have on the books IMO.
30 million for Delap and Bazunu could be the deal of the season, both players have huge futuresWhat I find amazing about deals like this is the amount of money these massive corporate entities are charging for kids. Delap for £16m is absolutely absurd. Southampton have already signed Romeo Lavia from Manchester City for £10.5m. He has no senior league football to his name, only two cup appearances. Man. City have sold a player to Leeds for £5m this summer. Darko Gyabi. No senior football to his name.
Gavin Bazunu was sold for £12m and if Southampton signed Delap for the price quoted above they'd have agreed to pay one club almost £40m for three kids who've made fewer than 100 senior games between them. Southampton also paid Manchester City around £13.5m for Angus Gunn a few years back. What's the link between these clubs? Is there one? It just seems a bit off IMO.
Farming out kids for millions. Hoovering up the best young talent and then charging other clubs an absolute premium in loan fees, sell-on clauses and transfer fees when, in two or three or four years' time, they haven't made it into their first team. I hate it. It feels like it's become another way the wealthiest clubs can negotiate their way around FFP.
There should be a cap on the number of players a football club can have on the books IMO.
Usually a fairly accurate reporter
People were saying the same things about Angus Gunn but he ended up flitting from one club to another. Do you remember Ben Woodburn from Liverpool? Talked about as the next great hope. He's just been released and joined Preston on a free transfer. Jack Rodwell was going to be the lynchpin of the England side at one point. Back when was 18.30 million for Delap and Bazunu could be the deal of the season, both players have huge futures
They were fined and got a transfer ban for signing underage players from abroad by creating jobs for their parents to try and circumvent the rules.From memory, weren’t Chelsea fined or given some sort of punishment for signing up a load of kids and having a lot out on loan?
It's still a massive gamble.30 million for Delap and Bazunu could be the deal of the season, both players have huge futures
And on the flip side McEachran and Baker, also the next big things out of Chelsea, £20k week at 18/19. Both bang average.The best crop we had was arguably Bamford / Kalas and Big Ken from Chelsea under AK.
One thing about a Delap deal would be that Manchester City won't ever put him in their side ahead of Haaland, Alvarez, Mahrez et al but Southampton would play him like they did Broja. But Southampton would commit to the £16m plus wages AND take the risk of allowing him to develop in senior football AND have to agree to pay Manchester City a percentage of any future transfer fee, if and when City or Arsenal or Chelsea buy him for £50m on the back of a good 18 months. So it'd be £16m on their books now PLUS the massive percentage of any future deal. If he doesn't go on to make it at the very top level and drifts around for a bit, then Man. City have already had their £16m.And on the flip side McEachran and Baker, also the next big things out of Chelsea, £20k week at 18/19. Both bang average.
All these young players get hoovered up by the top PL teams so their academies are bloated. Knock on effect is massive in that lower teams don't get 3-4 seasons developing these kids, getting the benefit of their talent, THEN selling them for £2-3m - which for a lower league club is massive and keeps the club going for a season or two. To a PL club it's a signing on fee for an average player.
The "trickle down economics" of PL football is the biggest load of bollox in football. Football, for the rich, f*ck everyone else.
It's still a massive gamble.
Bournemouth signed up half of Liverpools 'best young talent' and ended up giving them away.
U23s at a so called big 6 side doesn't mean you'll make it. You could probably argue they could have less drive on such good money. They have lived the academy life since the age of 8-10.
We've had plenty of high profile 'kids' on loan and the majority are poor.
The best crop we had was arguably Bamford / Kalas and Big Ken from Chelsea under AK.