I'm caught between both sides on this type of signing. On one side I can get why the attraction of signing for LFC would appeal. Probably the financial rewards aswell. Maybe parental pressure? The chance to develop. Then would he have a chance of getting any first team football at Anfield? Surely at 15, if he's so sought after might have a chance of a debut before the end of this season at BCFC which to be fair are still a big club. Do Birmingham need the money? Who knows.......... Thoughts ............
No money should change hands before the child is 16 minimum. Cap for how many players top teams can buy from other academies.
Always seems like robbery to me. Robin Hood in reverse. And how many of these youngsters actually make it? Find themselves discarded because of competition for team places and have no other training, or skills built up. Treated like used tissues. I think I recall that the statistic for a good youngster making it as a professional from academy/youth teams was about 1:100 for a premiership side. I think that the 'selling' (or being robbed) side should acquire the WHOLE of any subsequent transfer fee. How can lower league teams survive when everything is so heavily weighted against them? Unfair. Rant over ......for the time being.
Many live to regret it. Herbie Kane didn't speak highly of his time there in our recent PNE programme. The big clubs promise you a lot but under deliver.
Stockpiling players. Large clubs are happy to speculate to accumulate. Ten players at 500 k each is a snip when one develops that may have cost £30M+ down the line. Very rare they do develop at the larger clubs though, both De Bruyne and Salah were on Chelsea’s books and had to leave due to limited opportunities.
They paid a then. Record transfer fee for a teenager in the 80’s for a lad called Wayne Harrison from Oldham. Sadly he was blighted by bad luck and injuries. And played very few games. None for Liverpool.
I remember that. Floppy hair with blonde streaks of I remember rightly. Says a lot when I can remember his barnet but nowt about his football.