Kante - looks like he could be away

Boro.Fur said:
Bit harsh mate. The lad's only 20 and for whatever reason it didn't work out.
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Fair play. But hes another drain on the wage bill, and no ones telling us we dont have as good if not better players from our own academy? Why do we keep picking up these unproven players from the "bargain bin" ?
 
r00fie1 said:
Fair play. But hes another drain on the wage bill, and no ones telling us we dont have as good if not better players from our own academy? Why do we keep picking up these unproven players from the "bargain bin" ?
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Kante was playing for Saint Etienne narrowly missing promotion to Ligue 1 last season, our best academy player couldn’t get a game at Plymouth, then couldn’t even get on our bench once he was recalled, and most of our academy players that go out on loan can barely ever get a game at their loan clubs either.
 
MVBoro said:
Our academy is rubbish atm and has been for a few years. Last first team player to come through was Brynn.
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The question is whether it is the academy or whether we are not giving enough first team opportunities.

Players need exposure to improve and we have been scared to try them I think.
 
r00fie1 said:
Fair play. But hes another drain on the wage bill, and no ones telling us we dont have as good if not better players from our own academy? Why do we keep picking up these unproven players from the "bargain bin" ?
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We definitely don't have better players in our academy.

Kante played a good role at DM for St Etienne last season, played almost every minute, unbeaten in his first 9 games after he joined. Lost in the Ligue 2 final, which is probably League 1 standard.

It's his 21st birthday today - he's 10 months younger than Luke Woolston (same position) from the academy who was loaned to South Sheilds (National League North) last season.
Woolston will be released when his contract runs out next summer, and he'll end up playing for Whitby or Stockton Town - Kante will be a Ligue 1 player at a top French club in a few years.

His only slight competition in the academy is Law McCabe - who couldn't get into a poor Plymouth team - and he's still the best academy product we've had for 5 consecutive seasons.
 
Kante.....all I can assume is Hellberg has had a good look at him in training, doesn't think he's the right type of player for his system and wants to move him on.
 
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There are clearly posters here who are far more in touch with our academy than me. I respect their verdicts.
The question surely has to be why has the academy produced so little in recent years?

I’m not having a go, but the conversion rate seems woeful for a top academy.
 
Seems like it’s becoming harder and harder to attract talent and when you have promising players, they often get poached. Not a position unique to Boro. I think a lot of academies are struggling to produce good players. The big clubs are hoovering up all the talented youngsters as well as the senior players.
 
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