I think the main problem is many posters (and this has been raised and refuted before) expect every youth prospect to be a Rooney/Barkley/Gordon, when that just isn't realistic. Only these levels of players are going to break through at that age, but there's no reason a young player shouldn't go out for a couple (seasons of) loans, then be added to the first team squad around 20-22. Now if they are not ready to make it into the first team until this point then it may well be that they are not going to be a Barkley/Gordon/Branthwaite/DCL level first team regular, but they could still be a valuable squad member/rotation/deputy player, and in many ways this is almost more useful. I'd rather have these positions filled with academy products than waste over the top wages and transfer fees on buying players to fill those roles, then save our budget for 1st 11 players who are going to (hopefully) be real difference makers.
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EFC_FRANCIS
Player Valuation: £35m
Very good point on Metcalfe. Doesn't really have a landing spot and doesn't have the benefit of England caps. His best place is probably our 21s with sporadic bench appearances.
Moonlight dribbler
Player Valuation: £6m
The club results drive a supporter reaction. Your post must be trolling surely.
I think there’s a high degree of realism, in this thread at least, that very few of our youth prospects will make one PL start , let alone the 50 appearances considered a “ success”. And these days it’s a worry that even if we found “ the new Rooney”, how could we hang onto him and not lose him when he’s young.? I agree with your point about Academy products, but to be brutally honest I think our current set up is sadly lacking in terms of the number of quality young players we have; how they are coached/progressed/ improved; how they are integrated into the First Team squad. If any one of those three are missing it fails .
Okoronkwo is in a similar situation. A carabao cup appearance early in the season for either of these might just be enough to get some eyes on them for potential loans. At the moment, clubs can only really judge them on a handful of Papa Johns games.
Another option is to loan them out at a low level for half a season and hope they excel a la Warrington at Tranmere.
Tony’s Carp
Player Valuation: £50m
Best of luck to him.
Going on loan isn't always a bad thing by any means but I know what Eggs is getting at if you're 20 and not good enough to break into this Everton squad the chances are you aren't going to have a career at the top level the bar isn't that high and if they can't reach it at that point most players never will. Of course the odd player will be a late developer so its not an guarantee but its a fair point in most cases.
EFC_FRANCIS
Player Valuation: £35m
Lower league sometimes pays off like Warrington but hurt Welchs stock getting dropped into a nightmare situation last season. Okoronkwo needs to really be going at a goal per game at his age in PL2. He will be 20 one month into the new season. Cannon/Simms/Broadhead were all way ahead of him at this point. Still don't think even Everton know what his best position is or moving forward what they want him to be either, never mind other clubs. I'd say filling his boots in PL2 was his best bet but I don't think he's even up to that.
I know lower league 1 clubs were looking at Whitaker when he got hurt and Kouyate just got a move to a better L2 side. That's probably the level of club most our kids could go to.
That’s a good move for him, Barrow are a decent team in League 2 , they should have been in a play off spot but faded badly at the end of the season . There are a number of ex Everton u21/23s in League 2 eg Luke Garbut , Conor McAleny both at Salford, a few more too, although nobody who hasn’t looked like they weren’t at the right level. I think Kouyate will be a good fit at Barrow and League 2 with his pace and power , but he’s going to have to work a bit harder at his game, it’s a step up from PL2 / u21s.
I was musing about Whitaker. He’s been hard hit by injuries which have stalled the promise he showed, it’s hard to think he’ll become a first team squad player this coming season and with one year left on his contract a loan to a League 1 club maybe his chance to secure another contract with us or a new club. I hope he comes good, he showed he had something different , but I’m still not sure where you play him to get the best out of him.
Paul Rideout
Player Valuation: £40m
Barrow in L2… I remember when they were in the HSF Loans div 1 with Marine and Southport!!
Good on them… bunch of mutants that they are
Barrow in L2… I remember when they were in the HSF Loans div 1 with Marine and Southport!!
Good on them… bunch of mutants that they are
From Barrow. Will chin you.
Signing a young lad from Partick 16 yr old called Loney.
There youngest player to play for the first team.
According to the press
There youngest player to play for the first team.
According to the press
