Everton Sign Sambou (2019 edit - released)

[Dutch Toffee]

Do you have any other Strikers?

Are they Niasse standard?

Already signed two (international) strikers this window. A Finnish one and a Moldovian international from Torino.

 

[Goat]

Already signed two (international) strikers this window. A Finnish one and a Moldovian international from Torino.

Youve got a lot of young lads in the squad.

Suppose you are considered a decent place to send yoots on loan.

 

[zzr45]

Garbutt and Galloway weren't really academy players in that sense though, and as examples they actually fly totally in the face of your argument. They got long contracts because we did make our minds up on them. Unfortunately, we were wrong about how good they were, and we got stuck with them. They're a great example of how you don't always know how good a player is going to be, and why you might hedge your bets like we did with Sambou.

A 'pathway to the first team' is just corporate talk. This is Premier League football we're talking about, an industry worth billions of pounds, the only way you're getting a path to the first team is if you're an elite talent. The academy is producing good players, even full internationals, but that doesn't make them good enough to break into our starting XI. That sounds like a failing, but is it? Is it really realistic to expect the academy to produce £50m footballers on a regular basis? Not for me.

Again though, Garbutt and Galloway were invested in based on their potential at a young age, rather than a more long term view. As you say, some might come off, others might not, but it seemed we nailed our flag to the mast way too early with them. Did the club actually do enough to develop Galloway between his first team run and then his move to West Brom for example? Did he actually deserve a new contract for playing a handful of games, was another Premiership club actually the right option? Some of those types of decisions are what I'd be exploring in terms of if I was tasked at looking at this.

I wouldn't say that a pathway is just corporate talk either. As people have pointed out the likes of Harry Kane, Osman, even lads like Pickford have come through a pathway of being loaned out to lower league teams that are right for their level of development to push them on further - again not really seen that from Everton as we don't seem to send lads any further down than the Championship - where it never seems quite like the right level for them (how many times in the loan reports last year was 'not in the squad' or 'benched and not used' written? I'd even look at the examples of what Arsenal and Chelsea are doing with their youth.

Is it realistic for an academy to produce knockout talent each and every year? No, of course not - but there's a question for me if we are even now in a position where our academy (encompassing everything from coaching to sending lads out on loan etc.) is even capable of producing players who are capable squad players.

 

[JimmyK]

Again though, Garbutt and Galloway were invested in based on their potential at a young age, rather than a more long term view. As you say, some might come off, others might not, but it seemed we nailed our flag to the mast way too early with them. Did the club actually do enough to develop Galloway between his first team run and then his move to West Brom for example? Did he actually deserve a new contract for playing a handful of games, was another Premiership club actually the right option? Some of those types of decisions are what I'd be exploring in terms of if I was tasked at looking at this.

I wouldn't say that a pathway is just corporate talk either. As people have pointed out the likes of Harry Kane, Osman, even lads like Pickford have come through a pathway of being loaned out to lower league teams that are right for their level of development to push them on further - again not really seen that from Everton as we don't seem to send lads any further down than the Championship - where it never seems quite like the right level for them (how many times in the loan reports last year was 'not in the squad' or 'benched and not used' written? I'd even look at the examples of what Arsenal and Chelsea are doing with their youth.

Is it realistic for an academy to produce knockout talent each and every year? No, of course not - but there's a question for me if we are even now in a position where our academy (encompassing everything from coaching to sending lads out on loan etc.) is even capable of producing players who are capable squad players.

Well your last question is very easily answered. Davies and kenny have been reasonable squad players. I have no doubt that Robinson, Williams, baningime and the like would be fine as squad fillers if we needed them to be, but we don’t.

We do send players to other levels too. Adedoyin’s just gone to Hamilton, Hilton was at marine last year, Evans at Blackpool. In recent years ledson, Walsh, Connolly, Duffy, lundstram, mcaleny etc have all had loans outside the championship. Without meaning to be rude, it seems your criticising them without any idea of what they’re doing, because much of what your saying can literally be proved to be incorrect.

 

[Dutch Toffee]

Youve got a lot of young lads in the squad.

Suppose you are considered a decent place to send yoots on loan.

Yeah, seem to be loaning quite a few youth players from bigger foreign clubs. Also got an active scouting system in place. Signing young players all over Europe on long contracts. Imo Sambou has made the right choice if he decides to come here. The Dutch league is normally a good springboard to launch your career.

 

[zzr45]

Well your last question is very easily answered. Davies and kenny have been reasonable squad players. I have no doubt that Robinson, Williams, baningime and the like would be fine as squad fillers if we needed them to be, but we don’t.

We do send players to other levels too. Adedoyin’s just gone to Hamilton, Hilton was at marine last year, Evans at Blackpool. In recent years ledson, Walsh, Connolly, Duffy, lundstram, mcaleny etc have all had loans outside the championship. Without meaning to be rude, it seems your criticising them without any idea of what they’re doing, because much of what your saying can literally be proved to be incorrect.

We've had a few that have gone outside the Championship. Last year however the vast majority of our loans were to Championship clubs. To use the example of Evans we waited until January until we sent him out. Even then he only got about half a game most weeks - why did he need to stay and play u23 football for us? The other names of there do show though that we aren't pumping out quality - we produce Championship players at best.

Even using your example of Duffy - the academy didn't work because we sent a lad that's just played two back to back seasons in the prem packing! Granted that might be more to do with the manager at the time, but we couldn't spot a squad player, same as with Dier and Mustafi.

We aren't producing the quality of player we need to compete where we want to compete. It's simple as that.

 

[MikeH72]

Another excellent pick from grand master scouting general Steven Walsh.

 

[JimmyK]

We've had a few that have gone outside the Championship. Last year however the vast majority of our loans were to Championship clubs. To use the example of Evans we waited until January until we sent him out. Even then he only got about half a game most weeks - why did he need to stay and play u23 football for us? The other names of there do show though that we aren't pumping out quality - we produce Championship players at best.

Even using your example of Duffy - the academy didn't work because we sent a lad that's just played two back to back seasons in the prem packing! Granted that might be more to do with the manager at the time, but we couldn't spot a squad player, same as with Dier and Mustafi.

We aren't producing the quality of player we need to compete where we want to compete. It's simple as that.

Well they can’t win then can they? If we produce players who play in the championship we’re failing and if we produce players who play in the premier league we’re failing! Almost like you’ve just made your mind up and aren’t going to let little things like facts get in the way.

I don’t know what you’re expecting from the academy to be honest. We’ve just got rid of Vlasic and Lookman for decent money to big clubs because we don’t think they’re good enough. There are people in other threads arguing that a Brazilian international who we’re paying £150k a week isn’t good enough. That’s the level now in the premier league, you’re not going to get that many kids from Norris green breaking into the side now, it’s natural.

 

[Barnfred 55]

Another excellent pick from grand master scouting general Steven Walsh.

In fairness to Walsh, and I'm not usually, this was an Unsworth pick.

 

[zzr45]

Well they can’t win then can they? If we produce players who play in the championship we’re failing and if we produce players who play in the premier league we’re failing! Almost like you’ve just made your mind up and aren’t going to let little things like facts get in the way.

I don’t know what you’re expecting from the academy to be honest. We’ve just got rid of Vlasic and Lookman for decent money to big clubs because we don’t think they’re good enough. There are people in other threads arguing that a Brazilian international who we’re paying £150k a week isn’t good enough. That’s the level now in the premier league, you’re not going to get that many kids from Norris green breaking into the side now, it’s natural.

?? I’m not exactly sure that you get my point. We are holding onto players that aren’t good enough but letting lads that are good enough go - we seemingly cannot finish the youth development program in a manner that benefits the club. Lads becoming Premier League regulars for other clubs, without us getting a fee or nominal at best is a failure - producing sub par talent is a failure - our youth setup is not up to scratch!

And let’s be honest the runners up and winners of the last two Champions League Finals had a lad from West Derby starting at right back.. they seem to have no issue producing premiership quality players from the same talent pool as us..

 

[TheBigIguana]

Nothing wrong with this not working. You sign a young kid for cheap and hope he develops. If he doesn't you move him on and try again. I hope he finds his feet somewhere.

 

[Philw]

Even using your example of Duffy - the academy didn't work because we sent a lad that's just played two back to back seasons in the prem packing! Granted that might be more to do with the manager at the time, but we couldn't spot a squad player, same as with Dier and Mustafi.

All of those left to get first team opportunities at lower clubs than us, and didn't 'make it' til a number of years later. iirc the latter two we would have kept if we could, and tbh I'm not that impressed by either. And aside from them, how many of the other 'youth' players that we've let go have gone on to become top premier league stars? Sometimes you don't make the most of a talent, sometimes it's just not there, and sometimes it's so strong that it doesn't need much work to flourish on its own (TAA). Before him, who was the last academy player Liverpool brought through who was a real success?

 

[Deleted member 28206]

LOL at the fall from grace

Homepage to released in 9 pages.

 

[KaiserEFC]

Not my point Kieran.

My point is why persist with him, for 3 years when he was never getting a sniff of the first team?



Seems to be a growing argument.

Because we appear to be the only team in the country that actually cares about the U23’s league

 

[degsy]

Because we appear to be the only team in the country that actually cares about the U23’s league

Probably true.
Has anybody from the U18, 21s, 23s, we've let go ever come back to bite us in the bum?
I'd say not.

Is the collective cost of the Acadamy covered by the small fees they bring in? If so, then keep on trying to hit the jackpot...
But it could be a long wait.