2020/21 Thierry Small

[trueblue84]

Lad needs to wake up if he thinks he's going to displace one of the best leftbacks in Europe. He might be highly rated, but he's 16. No club in Europe is going to put him in their first team for the next coue of years.

 

[GlosBlue]

Can't we just swap his legs round and play him on the right? Problem solved.

 

[catcherintherye]

You're right, I just checked.
2nd season was, with essentially the same players. No progress, you could argue careers held back.

The last couple of seasons things have improved. Have they improved enough to hold on to players like Small?

The point being, they need to be playing proper football. U23's isn't.

Yep agree with all that mate.

In fairness though, lots have been training with the 1st team, with the match day squad, some have got on etc etc.

We seem to be pushing people through better now.

 

[diggerdestroyer]

Apparently sides were sniffing round him with him questioning his options on the basis if not having a pathway and being stuck in the 23s. Those stories have gone away now and I doubt he has those reservations now.

You were itk it seems

 

[catcherintherye]

You were itk it seems

I get the odd bits and bobs about the academy sides mate, but certainly wouldnt want the label ITK with everything that comes with it!

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

Why does he have to get in at left back? There are options/combos worth trying or working on, on that side, IMO. And time is on their and our side, considering age and the apparent ability.

 

[Toffee in Jandals]

Does concern me a bit that over the last few years (granted, under previous managerial regimes) that young talent has been brought to Everton, but then they have had to leave here to further their careers / get game time, when at the same time we've spent tens of millions on players in the same playing position who arguably are only on the same level of quality or inferior, i.e. Nikola Vlasic / Gylfi Sigurdsson; Ademola Lookman / Alex Iwobi.

Mason Holgate and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are a couple of the rare examples of youth players brought in who we have substantively improved.

Hopefully we can keep this lad as Digne's understudy next season, and if we make the Europa League he'll get a few starts there / and in the league cup.

 

[barneygumble]

Does concern me a bit that over the last few years (granted, under previous managerial regimes) that young talent has been brought to Everton, but then they have had to leave here to further their careers / get game time, when at the same time we've spent tens of millions on players in the same playing position who arguably are only on the same level of quality or inferior, i.e. Nikola Vlasic / Gylfi Sigurdsson; Ademola Lookman / Alex Iwobi.

Mason Holgate and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are a couple of the rare examples of youth players brought in who we have substantively improved.

Hopefully we can keep this lad as Digne's understudy next season, and if we make the Europa League he'll get a few starts there / and in the league cup.

Curiously, with Lookman, do you not think there was something different regarding the fax t that 4 managers basically ignored him? That’s 4 managers who saw him every day. They must have known something we didn’t.
As for Vlasic, who’s a number 10... he was signed after Sigurdsson, who played on the wing that season to accommodate Rooney.

Vlasic wanted to leave because he didn’t want to play under Allardyce (which he’s just revealed).

Lots of things we’ve gotten wrong, but can’t blame recruitment on Vlasic, we weren’t dropping our record signing were we for Vlasic?

 

[stretford blue]

Curiously, with Lookman, do you not think there was something different regarding the fax t that 4 managers basically ignored him? That’s 4 managers who saw him every day. They must have known something we didn’t.
As for Vlasic, who’s a number 10... he was signed after Sigurdsson, who played on the wing that season to accommodate Rooney.

Vlasic wanted to leave because he didn’t want to play under Allardyce (which he’s just revealed).

Lots of things we’ve gotten wrong, but can’t blame recruitment on Vlasic, we weren’t dropping our record signing were we for Vlasic?

Vlasic was a victim of to many cooks and a scatter gun approach to recruitment at that time

 

[barneygumble]

Vlasic was a victim of to many cooks and a scatter gun approach to recruitment at that time

Not disagreeing, but the OP mentioned signing players who aren’t youth and blocking their path.

And failed to mention Lookman not getting picked by Koeman, Unsworth, Allardyce and Silva, so clearly something wasn’t right.

Vlasic, weren’t going to drop Rooney, abs Allardyce ruined our hopes of keeping him. I’d have liked to have done exactly that... I actually reckon he’d come back.

 

[Brennan]

Lad needs to wake up if he thinks he's going to displace one of the best leftbacks in Europe. He might be highly rated, but he's 16. No club in Europe is going to put him in their first team for the next coue of years.

Have I missed something ?

The lads done nothing to indicate he wants to leave has he ?

 

[longers]

Have I missed something ?

The lads done nothing to indicate he wants to leave has he ?

He doesn't have an Everton tile I die tattoo therefore traitor

 

[Brennan]

He doesn't have an Everton tile I die tattoo therefore traitor

Everton tile I die would be a great name for a kitchen and bathroom business.

 

[Dougie]

Simple solution is sign him on a 3 year pro deal. Loan him out for 2 seasons so he gets first team football that he apparently wants if yeh media are to believed, watch his development then see if he is the real deal. If he is sign him to a long term contract and by the age of 20 he could be our left back for next 10 years.

 

[Tin-Tin]

From Athletic article tonight. Cant see a problem with this to be honest as much as you dont want to lose a top prospect

Talks continue over a first professional deal for the 16-year-old, with a host of clubs monitoring the situation. Small, who made his debut against Sheffield Wednesday, is understood to want to see a clear pathway to first-team action before signing.