Elliot got plenty of chances there last season. Hope he can fight his way into the Blackburn team and come back with a good few minutes under his belt.
1 Like
Will probably watch the odd Blackburn game on Sky now Clarkson is there, always a player I’ve enjoyed see play.
Might be getting ahead of myself but everything I’ve seen from Gordon suggests he’s going to be a first team player sooner rather than later. Provided all goes well and he gets a bit of luck I don’t think it’s terribly unlikely he’s making some first team squads for league/CL games next season.
3 Likes
Also given chances to young centre half’s like Everton’s fella and the Man City defender. Seem to be a great club for youngsters to go to. Will be a good learning experience for Clarkson
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 14: Southampton
Wow. What a mess. Having produced the likes of Theo Walcott, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Gareth Bale, James Ward-Prowse and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in recent years, the Southampton academy was proclaimed as a model of consistency and excellence for other English clubs to follow. Things don’t look quite so rosy now.
A flow of young players directly into the first team became an expected part of life on the South Coast. Fast forward to the modern day and Southampton have just finished a season with only two players under twenty-three years old playing over one thousand minutes - neither of them were graduates of the academy. Both the U23 and U18 teams finished rock-bottom of their divisions.
There was some good news. Nathan Tella, signed from Arsenal’s academy in 2019, has developed into a first team player while Michael Obafemi has returned from injury and should be ready to get serious minutes again in 2022.
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Valentino Livramento
- Position: RB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
New signing Livramento is an England U20 right back, joining from Chelsea on a five year deal. The London-born youngster has been a leading light in Chelsea’s youth system for a number of years but found his route to the first team blocked - especially since Reece James’ first team promotion - and has taken the same decision as Tariq Lamptey in leaving Stamford Bridge for the South Coast. Costing just five million pounds, Livramento has the potential to be the bargain of the summer. At Chelsea the eighteen year old had played all over the pitch, excelling at right back and on the right wing mostly. He is quick, strong and technically excellent - consistently playing above his age group at international level which is notoriously difficult to do. Yan Valery looks set to leave St Mary’s and Kyle Walker-Peters may be flexed across to left back due to a lack of options there following club captain Ryan Bertrand’s release (Moussa Djenepo has started at left back in pre-season). There is every chance Livramento could be a regular for the Saints this season.
Ramello Mitchell
- Position: LW
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
Brought in from Birmingham City in 2019, Mitchell is a versatile attacker with a powerful direct running style and tricky feet. He has been outlined for stardom by the club since his arrival, although his production at U18 level - three goals and two assists in twenty-three appearances - was somewhat underwhelming. While end product is an issue for Mitchell, his positive and progressive play style is certainly unsettling for opposition defences and Southampton will hope he can turn raw talent into on field results soon. If he manages to add it to his game he does have the potential to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Tella and Michael Obafemi.
Caleb Watts
- Position: CM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Australian
Currently playing for Australia in the Olympic Games, Caleb Watts had a mini-breakthrough for Southampton in 2021 making three appearances in the league and one in the FA Cup. Watts is a diminutive midfielder with quick feet and an interesting playing style marking him out as something a little different in the central midfield position. Wearing his socks around his ankles, Watts does not lack confidence and can often be seen bursting into the opposition penalty area, creating chances for his teammates through his movement and cuteness in possession. Although he doesn’t have great defensive capabilities, the former QPR player is likely to make significant inroads on a depleted Southampton squad this season and will be one of the more interesting talents to keep an eye on.
5 Likes
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 15: Crystal Palace
Palace are undergoing a youth revolution at first team level with thirteen players such as Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho, Patrick van Aanholt and Scott Dann allowed to walk away at the expiration of their contracts. In their place have arrived exciting talents in the form of Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Joachim Anderson. In addition the talented Conor Gallagher has arrived on a season long loan. Palace already had some youth talent, like Tyrick Mitchell and Eberechi Eze, so the future looks increasingly bright for the Eagles.
There is still room for more prospects in the first team and Crystal Palace have an exciting group of talents emerging. The U18 team finished in a creditable second position, beating out the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham, largely through the goals of eighteen year old David Omilabu while the U23 side has shone in preseason with Scott Banks and Rob Street impressing.
Unfortunately Nathan Ferguson, brought in from West Brom in 2020, has suffered another injury setback and may well miss his second full season since signing for Palace. The defender was in line to be the starting right back this season.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Oliver Webber |
| CB | Jay Rich-Baghuelou |
| CB | Jake O’Brien |
| RB | David Boateng |
| LB | Reece Hannam |
| CM | Malachi Boateng |
| CM | James Taylor |
| CM | Nya Kirby |
| RW | Jesurun Rak-Sakyi |
| LW | David Omilabu |
| CF | Robert Street |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Joe Whitworth |
| CB | Joe Sheridan |
| CB | Ryan Bartley |
| RB | Cameron Lewis-Brown |
| LB | Omotayo Adaramola |
| CM | Jack Wells-Morrison |
| CM | Jadan Raymond |
| CM | Kayden Rodney |
| RW | Maliq Cadogan |
| LW | Fionn Mooney |
| CF | Victor Akinwale |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Scott Banks
- Position: AM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Scottish
Signed from Dundee United in January 2020, Banks has spent time at Alloa and Dunfermline on loan before returning for preseason this year and making a good impact on the squad. Banks grabbed two goals in back-to-back friendlies, including a Ronaldo-esque free kick. New manager Patrick Vieria is said to be considering giving Banks a more permanent squad role but another loan spell is also possible. The Scotland U21 international is a classic attacking midfielder with good vision and technique that are enhanced when he plays around better and more technical players. If he stays at Crystal Palace for the season, it is possible he could take advantage of Eze’s injury in the hunt for minutes.
Jesuran Rak-Sakyi
- Position: LW
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
Rak-Sakyi is considered the next big prospect to come out of the Crystal Palace youth system. Having left Chelsea at sixteen, Rak-Sakyi linked up with Crystal Palace and has become a leading light almost immediately. After an impressive U18 career - nine goals and eight assists in eighteen appearances - he progressed into the U23 set up and appeared on the substitutes bench for Palace’s first team last season. It’s a bit of a cliche to compare a winger coming through at Palace to Wilfreid Zaha but it is obvious with Rak-Sakyi that the Palace talisman has had some influence on his game - the two players even have a similar running style. Rak-Sakyi is the top talent at the Palace academy and word from the camp is that he will be allowed a chance to prove himself in the first team this year.
Malachi Boateng
- Position: DM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Boateng was name-checked last season as one prospect very close to making a breakthrough at Palace in the near future. In pre-season he started in the defensive midfield role next to the experienced Cheikhou Kouyate and looked the more composed of the two. The U23 player of the season is a tough-tackling, simple passing type of a player and a very solid prospect. Having had no loan spells to date - and a relatively short youth career of just twenty-four U23 appearances - it is hard to gauge the relative talent level of Boateng but with the youth revolution at Selhurst Park, and Nya Kirby - once considered the leading talent - failing to impress, he may soon get an opportunity to prove it.
3 Likes
I have a soft spot for Palace. They’ve brought through a number of young talented players over the years. It would be great to see them do that again.
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 16: Reading
The Royals can boast a very productive academy in recent years with two graduates heading out the door this summer in clear upgrading moves. Michael Olise, probably the best player in the Championship last season, has signed for Crystal Palace and Omar Richards, a dynamic full back, has moved on a free to Bayern Munich.
Olise and Richards are both signs of Reading’s progress and their existing issues. The sale of this pair should have fetched tens of millions for the Berkshire club but Richards was allowed to run his contract down while Michael Olise left for a paltry eight million. Exciting youngster Thierry Nevers was also allowed to leave for next to nothing. Reading can be doing more to maximise their profits on these talents, or even better hold onto them.
On the plus side, Reading are one of the best for player pathways with plenty of minutes on offer for U23 players and there are several players ready to take advantage of that.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Position | |
| GK | Coniah Boyce-Clarke |
| CB | Nelson Abbey |
| CB | Michael Strickland |
| RB | Tyrell Ashcroft |
| LB | Imari Samuels |
| CM | Kian Leavy |
| CM | Malachi Talent-Aryeetey |
| CM | Dejan Tetek |
| RW | Mamadi Camara |
| LW | Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan |
| CF | Nehum Melvin-Lambert |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Position | |
| GK | Bastian Smith |
| CB | Kelvin Abrefa |
| CB | Louie Holzman |
| RB | Sam Paul |
| LB | Jordan Addo-Antoine |
| CM | Benjamin Purcell |
| CM | Hamid Abdul-Salam |
| CM | Jacob Borgnis |
| RW | Ashton Greaver |
| LW | Harvey Maunder |
| CF | Jahmari Clarke |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Ethan Bristow
- Position: LB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Reading have a huge hole at left back with Omari Samuels heading to Bayern Munich on a free transfer. Currently it looks like the man to fill that role is Ethan Bristow, with the nineteen year old having made inroads on the first team during pre-season. Having only started one FA Cup tie in his career so far, Bristow is inexperienced but has shown flashes of his potential and was one of the stand out players for the U23s in his first season at that level. He appears to be slightly ahead of fellow academy full back Imari Samuels as it stands although Reading could be set for a long time (or a big pay day) with both players having the potential to entrench themselves in the first team set up. Bristow is a prototypical modern full back with the pace and energy to get up and down the left flank.
Dejan Tetek
- Position: CM
- Age: 18
- Nationality: Serbian
An English born Serbian U21 international, Dejan Tetek is already well entrenched as a first team player at the Madejski despite being only eighteen years old. He made seven appearances last season and, now entering the season as the primary backup for the centre midfield position, looks set to be earning significantly more game time in 2021/22. Arsenal were credited with an interest in the midfielder last January and Tetek - although he is a different type of player - could help cautorise the pain of losing Michael Olise by emerging as another homegrown youth midfielder. Tetek is a hard-working, left-footed midfielder with a good engine and excellent passing range. He is also helped by Reading being placed under a transfer embargo meaning added competition is unlikely to be coming in.
Femi Azeez
- Position: CF
- Age: 20
- Nationality: English
Azeez was picked up from non-league football in 2019 having joined Wealdstone and in 2020 he made easy work of his first full season at U23 level, scoring ten goals in twelve starts. He scored five goals in his final three games to round off a breakthrough campaign for the former part-timer. This season he has already started well, scoring his first goal for the first team against Preston North End. At youth level Azeez has played centre forward but he is versatile enough to play out wide which makes his path for regular first team football more feasible. Still under a transfer embargo, Reading are set for a season of leaning on their own youth products and a pacey goalscorer is sure to be heavily used.
2 Likes
Sepp Van de berg scored a cracking own goal tonight for PNE 
1 Like
You see that pace. For a lad Virgils height. Jesus Christ. He was moving quick, some development. Is he still playing right back? Thought the club wanted him moves into the middle.
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 17: Derby County
It’s bad times at Derby County right now. Not only are they forced to have Wayne Rooney as their manager but the club are subject to a transfer ban because of discrepancies in their finances for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. Derby have just thirteen registered players and one of those, Jason Knight, was injured by his own manager during training and will miss half the season.
Knight, however, may be an inspiration that Derby will look to use to make it through this season. Signed from Cabinteely in 2017, Knight came through the youth system and has established himself as a regular in midfield to date making seventy-four appearances in the Championship at just twenty years’ old.
Derby have done a good job of developing their youth talent in recent years. Along with Knight has been the successes of Lee Buchanan, Max Bird and Louie Sibley - all regulars who came through the structure of the club. If the EFL do not relent on a player registration ban then plenty more will be asked to step up for the Midlands club this year.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Alfie Roberts |
| CB | Jordan Brown |
| CB | Harrison Solomon |
| RB | Kornell McDonald |
| LB | Dylan Williams |
| CM | Liam Thompson |
| CM | Connor Dixon |
| CM | Olamide Ibrahim |
| RW | Louie Watson |
| LW | Tyree Wilson |
| CF | Jack Stretton |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Harvey Randle |
| CB | Filip Lissah |
| CB | Eli Christie |
| RB | Rhys Brailsford |
| LB | Riley Moloney |
| CM | Courtney Clarke |
| CM | Dubem Eze |
| CM | Cian Kelly |
| RW | Marko Borkovic |
| LW | Luke Plange |
| CF | Malik Mothersille |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Festy Ebosele
- Position: RB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Irish
Ireland U21 international Festy Ebosele is a defender with a real chance of making the right back position his own this year. Current first team right back Nathan Byrne is likely to be transitioned into central defence leaving the pathway clear for the fantastically named Irish prodigy. Ebosele is a modern wing back, a weapon coming out of defence mostly due to his athleticism and pace. With few other options likely to emerge, Ebosele should have plenty of opportunities this year.
Jack Stretton
- Position: CF
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Scottish
Stretton is a prolific Scotland U19 international. The centre forward grabbed eight goals in twelve appearances for Derby’s U23s and then went on loan to National League side Stockport, scoring three goals in five appearances. Now back with Derby, the Scotsman looks set to become a much bigger part of the squad with only Colin Kazim-Richards a recognised striker in the first team. Stretton has featured for Derby in small cameos and, despite an injury ruling him out for much of pre-season, is said to have impressed Rooney across his time at the club. As the type of player who was likely to make a breakthrough anyway, Derby’s precarious situation will likely only accelerate an already inevitable first team promotion.
Eiran Cashin
- Position: CB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Irish
A no-nonsense style defender, Cashin is a Scottish youth international that Rooney describes as “knocking on the door”. If true, it is likely that door is about to fly wide open with Derby having only one recognised senior centre back - Andre Wisdom - currently on the books. Nothing fancy about the way Cashin plays but he does his job effectively, getting physical with centre forwards and heading away everything that comes towards him in the air. He has impressed in preseason, even managing to get on the scoresheet in a friendly at Notts County, and while reinforcements are likely to be brought to the club Cashin will surely be able to find his way onto the pitch on a semi-regular basis.
5 Likes
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 18: Everton
Having appointed Rafa Benitez as their new manager, it is fair to say that the chances of youth team promotions have probably taken a hit. Not exactly famed for his youth development - certainly not at Liverpool anyway - Benitez tends to rely on the older and more experienced squad members.
Everton however do have some promising youth talents - sixteen year old Thierry Small is considered one of the top prospects in the country and has been linked with moves to all the top clubs in Europe (and Arsenal). Seventeen year old forward Charlie Whitaker was also taken on the club’s pre-season tour to supplement the squad.
A club that traditionally excels in youth leagues, a fifth place finish in both the U23 and U18s was probably not considered good enough. With, so far, no players leaving on loan they will have a full accomplishment of reserves to try and dominate this level.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Harry Tyrer |
| CB | Joseph Anderson |
| CB | Ryan Astley |
| RB | Kyle John |
| LB | Thierry Small |
| CM | Tyler Onyango |
| CM | Einar Iversen |
| CM | Rhys Hughes |
| RW | Sebastian Quirk |
| LW | Charlie Whitaker |
| CF | Ellis Simms |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Jak Stewart |
| CB | Reece Welch |
| CB | Jack Tierney |
| RB | Mathew Mallon |
| LB | Elijah Campbell |
| CM | Luke Butterfield |
| CM | Isaac Price |
| CM | Imam Jagne |
| RW | Stanley Mills |
| LW | Owen Barker |
| CF | Katia Kouyate |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Niels Nkounkou
- Position: LB
- Age: 20
- Nationality: French
Signed from Marseille in 2020, Niels Nkounkou is a French Olympic team international who began making his breakthrough to the Everton first team at the back end of last season. He has a stout, muscular frame that allows him to physically dominate most wingers in a one-on-one match up. Although he isn’t the quickest he still covers ground effectively and is an excellent crosser - usually driving to the byline and standing the ball up to the far post - which may benefit Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin. What makes Nkounkou slightly different as a prospect is not his good wing play - many fullback prospects have that - but actually he is fairly conservative, preferring to pick and choose his moments to attack and playing solid defensively. With Lucas Digne still working his way back to fitness, Nkounkou may get the opportunity to start the season in the first team.
Anthony Gordon
- Position: LW
- Age: 20
- Nationality: English
Scouser Anthony Gordon may already be a familiar name. In fourteen Premier League appearances the winger has already managed a start in the Merseyside derby, not letting himself down during a 0-0 draw at Goodison. Last season he spent half a season on loan at Preston, making a further eleven appearances. Gordon, an England U20 international, is not a flying winger. He doesn’t possess outstanding pace but - similar to Riyad Mahrez - he has more than enough to make playing in a wide role viable. He has good close control and the vision to pick out passes into the forward line. Despite being just twenty, this feels like a big year for Gordon is defining whether or not he is a Premier League prospect. With the underperforming Alex Iwobi his main competition, Gordon has to push on.
Jarrad Branthwaite
- Position: CB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Signed from Carlisle in January 2020, Branthwaite is an English U19 international and spent the second half of last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, making ten appearances. He broke through into the Everton first team, at centre-back, aged just seventeen and his outstanding ability has seen him linked with a move to Manchester United (and less realistically, Liverpool). Standing at six foot four inches tall, he is surprisingly adept with the ball at his feet, often stepping into midfield and using his long stride to glide away from would-be tacklers. Defensively however that lack of pace does show, as you would expect. For Carlisle, aged just sixteen, he ran from the heart of defence past several midfielders and fired a left footed shot into the bottom corner. Branthwaite is an excellent prospect, one who could go on to be a full England international in future.
2 Likes
I don’t think our setup when Rafa was here was much good was it? Even though he brought some of his own people in to improve things, we were still struggling to produce candidates he could use in the squad.
2 Likes
Apparently the Premier League brought in a new rule that says no club channel can show any match coverage at any level if it is on at the same time as any Premier League match.
Liverpool U23s v Everton on Monday clashes with West Ham v Leicester.
Liverpool U18s v Man Utd clashes with Liverpool v Burnley.
With these rules it seems quite likely there won’t be any youth games shown this season.
1 Like
That sounds crazy.
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Yes, because the overlap of people who would watch Liverpool U23 vs Everton U23 as well as West Ham v Leicester is overwhelming…
I really wish the fan backlash over the Super League would continue on to some of the frankly absurd practices of the Premier League and UEFA…
2 Likes
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 19: Norwich City
Norwich continued their trend of Championship domination (and likely will struggle again in the Premier League) last season and managed to do so by continuing to give thousands of minutes of football to U23 players. Max Aarons and Oliver Skipp, loaned in from Tottenham, were the key players while the likes of Todd Cantwell and Jacob Lungi Sorenson also saw plenty of first team action.
Norwich’s results at U23 and U18 level have suffered due to their promotion of youth talent but that is a preferable situation than having good players rot in reserve. The fact that promotions are so common actually means Norwich’s best youth talent rarely play at youth level - a trend that can be seen in many of the best academies across the country with coaches favouring training with the first team instead of playing with the U23s.
This is one of the best breeding grounds for young players in the country - Jamal Lewis, Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey and Todd Cantwell are recent examples of this along with the bought in talent such as Emi Buendia developing well at Carrow Road. The calibre of player still lurking around suggests this pipeline is not dry.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Joe Rose |
| CB | Jonathan Tomkinson |
| CB | Andrew Omobamidele |
| RB | Bali Mumba |
| LB | Rob Nizet |
| CM | Reece McAlear |
| CM | Nelson Khumbeni |
| CM | Melvin Sitti |
| RW | Tony Springett |
| LW | Josh Giurgi |
| CF | Abu Kamara |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Jayden St Paul |
| CB | Lewis Shipley |
| CB | Brad Hills |
| RB | Harry Pitcher |
| LB | Ola Okeowo |
| CM | Harry Brooke |
| CM | Solomon Alidor-Hamilton |
| CM | Saxon Earley |
| RW | Joe Duffy |
| LW | Oscar Thorn |
| CF | Kenneth Aboh |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Adam Idah
- Position: CF
- Age: 20
- Nationality: Irish
Cork-born centre forward Adam Idah is a full Irish international who is set to have a breakout season in the Premier League. Having scored six goals in less than five hundred minutes last season, Idah has earned the opportunity to stake a real claim on Norwich’s starting lineup this time around. Having joined Norwich from Corinthians in 2017, Idah has quickly become the top talent in the youth system. He has a lanky frame but doesn’t rely on his height, with dribbling and finishing far more part of his game and is often seen drifting out onto the right wing to drive at full backs and cut the ball back to onrushing midfielders. Idah’s first team promotion has long been predicted but, with the outstanding cameo appearances from last season in the bank, 2021/22 should finally be the year that it happens.
Andrew Omobamidele
- Position: CB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Irish
Another full Irish international at just eighteen years old, Omobamidele follows in the footsteps of Ben Godfrey and fought his way into the Norwich team at the end of last season. Despite a physical similarity - he’s a similar height but slightly stockier than Godfrey - Omobamidele possibly has some even more interesting attributes. He is a ‘football first’ type of centre back, has excellent close control, doesn’t panic when being closed down (he is often able to play his way out of trouble or use a burst of pace to counter the press) and is an excellent short passer. Having signed a new contract and starting pre-season as a first choice defender, Omobamidele may be able to hold onto his end of season form and start the season in the heart of the Canaries’ defence.
Bali Mumba
- Position: RB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: England
Mumba was a highly touted prospect at Sunderland but the Black Cats strangely hesitated over exposing him to first team football, despite their struggles. The central midfielder turned right back instead chose to head to Norwich than stick it out at the Stadium of Light and so far it looks a wise decision with Mumba well placed to earn minutes in the Premier League having broken into the Norwich side late last season. The England U19 international made four appearances and was on the bench for a further ten, hinting that he is on the verge of a breakout campaign - although stepping up to the Premier League may limit that chance and a lot will depend on the future of Max Aarons. Mumba has a lot of the same attributes as Aarons, a flying full back who looks to attack the penalty area rather than whip in crosses. Mumba signed a new contract this off-season tying him to Norwich for the next five years.
2 Likes
Seven Irish players mentioned so far in the U23 and U18 premier league preview. Hopefully the future looks better than the crap that is there at the moment.
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Are any of them Irish in the same way that Declan Rice and Jack Grealish were Irish?
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