7 Jul 2015

Triple Transfer: Liverpool agree loan deals for 'dynamic' winger, 'fantastic' defender, and ex-Spurs starlet

With very few exceptions, Liverpool's youth policy is (IMO) an abject failure, and the latest evidence of this is the imminent triple-loan of three of the academy's brightest prospects.

According to the BBC on Monday:

* Swindon Town are to complete a triple loan deal for Liverpool defender/midfielder Jordan Williams; right-back/midfielder Kevin Stewart and winger Ryan Kent.

* All three are set for season-long moves to the County Ground.

Clearly, the signings of Joe Gomez, Bobby Adakanye, are replacements in the youth set-up for Williams, and Kent:

* 'Fantastic' Williams is a central defender, as is Gomez.

* 'Dynamic' Kent is an attacking wide player. Ditto Adekanye.

As for ex-Spurs youngster Stewart, the signing of Nathaniel Clyne means he's unlikely to get a sniff at the first team this season, and after loans to Cheltenham and Burton last season, he is now a perennial loanee.

With Jon Flanagan out for most of next season, and Javi Manquillo possibly leaving, you'd think there'd be space for an academy player to fill the void, but if Stewart - who is 21 - is being sent out on loan, it must mean that he's not good enough to make the step-up to the first team.

It's a shame for Williams, too. He made the bench seven times last season, and looked like he was on the path to a first-team breakthrough. Now, he probably feels deflated, especially with Gomez - who is one year younger - now in the squad.

This is the reality of the academy: Youngsters constantly arrive, fail to develop to the required level, and then end up on loan and/or replaced by another young player, at which point the cycle continues.

This may sound like a nuclear option, but in my view, Liverpool should scrap the academy altogether, and go back to the reserve team system that served the club so well during its heyday in the 70s and 80s.


* The academy rarely produces first-team regulars. In the Premier League era, only a handful of players have gone on to become senior stalwarts, and the hit-rate is decreasing with each passing year.

* Liverpool rarely make any real money from academy players. The majority of youngsters just disappear into obscurity, usually for a nominal fee (if that).

* Given the cost of running the academy, I don't see how it's financially viable. All the money wasted on 'developing' countless young players (most of whom fail) could be spent on more experienced reserve team players.

Of course, there's much more to this, and I plan to expand on this it at later date, but for now, the question to consider is this: if Liverpool scrapped the academy, what difference would it make?

Author: Jaimie K


48 comments:

  1. if we sell sterling for 50 mil does that not instantly prove its worth? or does a 15 yr old sterling slot into a reserve team system? scrapping the academy sounds a totaly dodgy idea for me, it must be hard for the players that come close but surely its better to have it there, even if it runs at loss. it still has a value, if only to show the club is interested in helping young players develop

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  2. the only thing it just to keep from now, liverpool can just forget about the media don't let in go, he can prove more in liverpool, if go to city one season or two he'll no be able to perform like now, and for him too he must be cakeful liverpool has done very well in the market transfer now, they can get what thye want, this team will be great here from two season more if there are not selling players we have now

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  3. we know players we can sold now, somebody like enrique, kolo toure, shako is no good enough we must some center defender great intelligent and agresive

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  4. and we can't forget about joe allen and lucas there are not good enough

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  5. we need one defender center, one defensive midfielder, and striker then end we'll have a better team this very season.

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  6. Academies are a career path for youngsters. Not every youth recruited through the means of an acdemy will go on to be in the first team but they will continue on to be proffessionals else where. Liveprool doesn't have the only academy in the league so Kirkby is no burden to the club whatsoever. Every club that I know in the Premiership all the way down to League 2 (division 3) has an academy where they recruit aspiring proffessionals from the local area. Barca have both an academy and a B-team... Regardless, academis remain as the pathway for young players onto the proffessional stage.

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  7. Personally I think we need the Academy. Whilst it may not have led to many breakthroughs in recent years, there has been Flanagan and Sterling. Ibe is likely to be next in line and Teixeira could well be another. I can totally understand why those 3 have gone out on loan. There is a gulf between youth and mens league. These 3 may have impressed at youth level but are not ready for mens football at this level. Holding up their development from sitting on the bench (assuming they even make the bench) is not going to help them reach the top either. Having a season at a lower league, playing regularly is of benefit to them and ultimately us too. It will give us an indication as to whether or not they can or will ever make the grade. I hear Sinclair could be about to go on-loan and there is no doubt he impressed at youth level. If he does well on loan, we could see him next season leading the line.
    The new signings (Gomez, Adekanye, Allan, Dixon-Bonner...) etc allow us to send these players on loan and in the case of Adekanye and Allan a chance to get used to English football.

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  8. I agree - I think we should get illarramendi and Kovacic in as replacements!!! That pairing would be reminiscent of the Alonso/Gerrard pairing!

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  9. "I want to play football and play more centrally if I can and that's where the manager said he sees me playing," Milner said.



    Holding midfielder? Defensive midfielder?


    Help us if that is the case.

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  10. Couldnt have put it better myself. Touche'!

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  11. & a left back.

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  12. Joe Allen and Lucas are very good players to have on the bench and are very underrated. Flamini, Mikel and Fernando are all substitutes on Arsenal, Chelsea and City's bench and Lucas is as good as they are if not better. Allen is very good tactically and is a very good squad player.

    Since Lucas joined Liverpool in 2007, no player has made more tackles in the Premier League than Lucas' 833 tackles. So actually Lucas is very good and solid.

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  13. Sakho is our best centre back and has one of the highest passing accuracy in the team. He suits Rodgers' style of play perfectly and should NOT be sold.

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  14. Dix- Boner is a very unfortunate name though...

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  15. Sakho is a Boss!!!

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  16. Not to mention he commits less errors than skrtel

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  17. Skrtel is frightening in lots of ways;-(

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  18. I think there is more context to this stat - i.e. how many DMs are still in the Prem etc - but yeah he is solid. He must have been gutted when he arrived as an attacking mid to be shaped into a DM

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  19. I aint seen Gomez play or anything and was waiting to see what happens with him, but i'll say that even from that 1st training pic where he is challenging ibe. He looks solid.

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  20. Central Midfielder.

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  21. Besides the real reasons clubs have academy's which is to make money they are massively important to the community's helping the youth and giving them some slim hope, even if they don't make it. I know that Tottenham do a great deal for the local community and if it wasn't for them the area would be in a worse state.

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  22. Surely the academy is about numbers, the more youngsters you have, the higher the pay off.. The chances of kids progressing to first team football at LFC increase, and if that doesn't happen, then on to another club... I don't get why everyone is so down on this when LFC do it....

    As for the cost of the academy. It plays no role in FFP, so whats the problem.

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  23. Wouldn't like to meet him down a dark alley at 3 in the morning.

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  24. Or grateful, depending on how he would look at it now, I would guess he wouldn't have lasted so long at LFC as an attacker...

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  25. How about alittle wager....

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  26. I shall resist any comment about back passages

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  27. I already have a little wagger!

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  28. Williams will make it - not sure about other two BUR BORINI really getting on my nerves and his Agent turning down another transfer. So here is my reply if I was BR = Fine Fabio but you WILL NOT be joining the rest of the squad on tour and in fact you will never again train with the first team either. And today I am in a bloody good mood otherwise I would give it to you straight in your big mouth

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  29. DISGRACE IF BORINI ALLOWED TO TRAVEL WITH REST OF TEAM

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  30. So we're sorted then, if he makes world class status, you clean my car, and if he doesn't, I'll clean yours.

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  31. Think thats probably wise...

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  32. Fowler, McManaman, Owen, Gerrard and Carragher all came through after serving for the reserve team, it is a natural progression. The signing of so many youngsters from other teams academy's has bared little fruit over the years and stopped many of our young players developing, the academy is not the problem it is the huge influx of youngsters coming in that creates a barrier for the youngsters already at the club and in turn it halts the progress and the natural rise through the ranks of many of the kids.


    If the academy is working then the need to buy so many young players from outside of our own youth system wouldn't be needed but in my opinion they are not given a fair chance to see if the academy works. The focus on spending money on youth and players for the future is flawed we need to focus spending on developing the team now and not for the future and allow the academy players to develop in the background. Saturating the youth set up with so many players is not the answer, focus on the present team and give the youth players the room to progress

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  33. The top players in the league are currently foreign. In every department
    Most academies have majority British players. That basically says a lot about the quality of "potential"


    The game is changing and so is the requirement of players. The influx of foreign talent is imminent given the quality available locally. One can blame the academy but the evident truth is technical gifted players are
    a rare breed in Britain.

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  34. What about my car?


    Anyway if we use JK's definition of world class even Ronaldo and Messi don't qualify

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  35. Thats not true in the slightest.

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  36. TBF it's clear that Allen is trying to emulate Alonso with the worldy of a beard that he's currently rocking.

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  37. I would also be of the thought that surely the sale of sterling will have proven its worth. Even if it only works once every 10yrs if we sell a player we bought for 500k for 50m then im happy with that. We also have had Flannagan play his part and also Jordan Ibe.


    If on average a 1st team player costs 20m then even just bringing one through every 10yrs would well cover its costs and a 2nd one is then a "Brucie Bonus"


    Crazy idea to just scrap it. Makes no real sense...

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  38. It is very likely that he will take up Gerrard's role of a defensive midfielder in one game and a holding midfielder in another.

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  39. As well as a RWB and a striker i.e. Lallana.

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  40. It's possible, I wouldn't necessarily say it's very likely, it depends on how we play.
    We could play 4-3-3 with Can behind Hendo and Milner then Phil/Robbo in front with an ST at the top.
    Or a 4-4-2 diamond with Can at the base Phil at the tip Firmino/St up front.
    There are multiple iterations and variations where Milner would play CM and not as a holding/defensive mid.

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  41. Pity he hasn't the ability to emulate him on the pitch....

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  42. Lucas has been great. Unfortunately since his injury he has lost a lot of what made him as good as he was. I think Italy would probably suit him better as the pace is a bit slower. Its got to be better than not making the bench often like last year.
    Allen is not that great. Granted he has a high pass accuracy but 95% of his passes are backwards to the defence instead of moving the ball forwards and helping set up an attack - often passing backwards even when we have an easy ball forwards and slows the game up even when we need to be pressing. Very frustrating to watch.

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  43. I though Williams was a midfielder?

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  44. As the saying goes, ''you can't have your cake and eat it too''

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  45. Oh! 5h1te

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  46. I agree with your comments on Lucas. Allen however is a total stiff: most of his passes are lateral or backward, his forward passing is awful and exceeded on by his lousy shooting and finishing. How BR ever called him the "Welsh Xavi" is utterly beyond me. He should be moved out to make even more room for promoting kids or bringing in people who actual can impact the game

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