FTY
Player Valuation: £80m
Would never have guessed
- Status
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Remember him. lol So :
http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2017/01/06/lookman-it-feels-like-a-dream
Lookman: It Feels Like A Dream
by Mike Taylor @Everton06 January 2017 13:31
Share
Ademola Lookman admits he ‘still feels like he’s dreaming’ after completing his switch from Charlton Athletic to Everton.
The 19-year-old winger, who has spoken of his excitement at the prospect of working under Ronald Koeman, became the Blues’ first signing of the January transfer window on Thursday.
Lookman was playing for London amateur side Waterloo FC just three years ago. And after penning a four-and-a-half-year deal at Goodison Park, he reflected on his rapid rise to the top of the English football pyramid.
“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” he explained. “It’s amazing to think only three years ago I was playing on uneven pitches in parks.
“Everton is a huge club. I watched lots of games growing up and the atmosphere at Goodison Park was something that always caught my eye.
“I know about the great history Everton has - and, of course, the big rivalry that exists with Liverpool.
“I can’t wait to get started here. I want to establish myself in the team, but I also want achieve things and help the Club win trophies.”
In his early teenage years, Lookman began at Waterloo FC before impressing in a friendly against Charlton Athletic.
The England Under-20 international went on to sign for the Addicks, quickly progressing through the ranks to make his first-team debut as a 65th-minute substitute against MK Dons in November 2015.
Lookman’s subsequent performances did not go unnoticed, with Everton’s new number 31 turning down offers to move away from The Valley in each of the previous two transfer windows before deeming a move to Merseyside too tempting to resist.
“I was playing for Waterloo and I knew there was an upcoming match against Charlton,” he added. “I managed to make the squad, but I didn’t start. Fortunately, I came off the bench and made enough of an impact to impress their head of recruitment, who asked me to come down for a trial.
“I was successful in the trial. It was a bit difficult because I’d been at Waterloo for five years with friends that I’d known since primary school. So, it took a bit of adjustment but as soon as I got into the routine at Charlton, I loved it.
“Making my first-team debut for Charlton was nerve-racking. I got a call from the gaffer while I was warming up on the sideline and he told me to put my shin pads on. I thought, ‘Oh wow, it’s actually happening’.
“But once I stepped on to the pitch and got a few touches of the ball, all the nerves eased away and I just went from there.”
http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2017/01/06/lookman-it-feels-like-a-dream
Lookman: It Feels Like A Dream
by Mike Taylor @Everton06 January 2017 13:31
Share
Ademola Lookman admits he ‘still feels like he’s dreaming’ after completing his switch from Charlton Athletic to Everton.
The 19-year-old winger, who has spoken of his excitement at the prospect of working under Ronald Koeman, became the Blues’ first signing of the January transfer window on Thursday.
Lookman was playing for London amateur side Waterloo FC just three years ago. And after penning a four-and-a-half-year deal at Goodison Park, he reflected on his rapid rise to the top of the English football pyramid.
“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” he explained. “It’s amazing to think only three years ago I was playing on uneven pitches in parks.
“Everton is a huge club. I watched lots of games growing up and the atmosphere at Goodison Park was something that always caught my eye.
“I know about the great history Everton has - and, of course, the big rivalry that exists with Liverpool.
“I can’t wait to get started here. I want to establish myself in the team, but I also want achieve things and help the Club win trophies.”
In his early teenage years, Lookman began at Waterloo FC before impressing in a friendly against Charlton Athletic.
The England Under-20 international went on to sign for the Addicks, quickly progressing through the ranks to make his first-team debut as a 65th-minute substitute against MK Dons in November 2015.
Lookman’s subsequent performances did not go unnoticed, with Everton’s new number 31 turning down offers to move away from The Valley in each of the previous two transfer windows before deeming a move to Merseyside too tempting to resist.
“I was playing for Waterloo and I knew there was an upcoming match against Charlton,” he added. “I managed to make the squad, but I didn’t start. Fortunately, I came off the bench and made enough of an impact to impress their head of recruitment, who asked me to come down for a trial.
“I was successful in the trial. It was a bit difficult because I’d been at Waterloo for five years with friends that I’d known since primary school. So, it took a bit of adjustment but as soon as I got into the routine at Charlton, I loved it.
“Making my first-team debut for Charlton was nerve-racking. I got a call from the gaffer while I was warming up on the sideline and he told me to put my shin pads on. I thought, ‘Oh wow, it’s actually happening’.
“But once I stepped on to the pitch and got a few touches of the ball, all the nerves eased away and I just went from there.”
Unbelievable how young he looks.
Can't wait to see him play, I'm not expecting an instant impact from him - but Charlton-supporting friends (yes, there are some people out there that still support Charlton
) have told me that he's quite the player.
Can't wait to see him play, I'm not expecting an instant impact from him - but Charlton-supporting friends (yes, there are some people out there that still support Charlton
) have told me that he's quite the player.
FreddyStar
Player Valuation: £500k
pace is a must in the pl and he looks like he has lots of it hopfully he gets lots of mins with boliase out until 2018
It was April 2014 and Charlton Athletic Under-16s were coming to the end of their season. They had some gaps in the fixture list so organised a few more games, to give their players a few more minutes and just to see, on the off chance, what boys were playing for other teams.
When Charlton welcomed London FA U-16s to Sparrow’s Lane, in New Eltham, they could not believe their eyes. London FA is a representative team made up of players drawn from local Sunday league sides. They had a little 16-year-old winger, Ademola Lookman, who played for Waterloo FC. He had never been part of an academy or attached by a big club. But he was the best player on the pitch by a distance, dazzling with his easy ability to beat opponents.
Charlton immediately took Lookman on trial and soon enough offered him a scholarship. This week, less than three years on, they sold him to Everton for a fee that could rise to £11m. It is a very rare story for a player to go that far, that quickly, and for a Premier League side to invest that much money in someone who simply has not had the academy coaching from the age of eight that so many other boys go through.
Everton start the New Year in style to brush aside struggling Saints
When Lookman arrived at Charlton’s academy, which remains one of the very best in the country, the staff were very keen to make sure that they did not inhibit his natural instincts. Having only played school and Sunday league football before, Lookman had always played with the freedom to express himself, with an easy way to receive the ball at speed and take it past opponents. “We were very conscious not to knock out that innate talent, that love for the football, out of him,” Steve Avory, Charlton academy manager, told The Independent.
What Avory and his team taught Lookman was that there were times when it was better to pass the ball, or that when there were too many opponents on him he should not try to take them all on. It was about making him more aware of the bigger picture while encouraging him to use his skills in dangerous areas.
But Charlton were always very confident in Lookman’s ability to learn. He is a very bright young man who achieved three A*s and five As at GCSE, attending St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham. Charlton’s academy works with Orpington College, giving its scholars one and a half days in the classroom each week towards earning qualifications. Lookman shone and completed a Level 3 BTEC in sport that is equivalent to two A Levels. In April last year he won the Championship ‘Apprentice of the Season’ because of his achievements on and off the pitch.
Lookman broke into the Charlton first team quickly enough, impressing in the Championship last year and League One this year for a series of managers. Whether out on the left or playing as a number 10 he retained that ability to ghost past people that first impressed Charlton three years ago. When Karl Robinson took over in November he knew that he would not get to coach Lookman for long so wanted to point to the example of Dele Alli, who Robinson coached at MK Dons, for how a young player could go from League One to the top flight. Robinson even took Lookman to Wembley to watch Alli play for Spurs in the Champions League, to show him what he could achieve.
The comparison is an important one. Both Lookman and Alli were initially ignored by the big clubs and have both had to learn their trade as teenagers in the lower leagues, playing competitive football against grown men.
Lookman had never been part of an academy or attached to a big club when he was spotted (Getty)
The Lookman story also shows that academies should not just scout for the best talent at 12, 10 or even eight, but that they should keep looking for talented boys who may have fallen through the cracks. Crystal Palace U16s had a game pencilled in against London FA back in April 2014 but it never happened. Had it taken place they would surely have signed Lookman, another south London youngster to add to their ranks. Last August Palace bid £6m for Lookman but it was not enough to buy the one who got away.
The big Premier League teams all knew about Lookman in the end but it was Everton who put up the money to sign the most exciting teenager outside the top two tiers. The other clubs have to ask themselves if their eyes are open to the next brilliant 16-year-old still playing Sunday league.
When Charlton welcomed London FA U-16s to Sparrow’s Lane, in New Eltham, they could not believe their eyes. London FA is a representative team made up of players drawn from local Sunday league sides. They had a little 16-year-old winger, Ademola Lookman, who played for Waterloo FC. He had never been part of an academy or attached by a big club. But he was the best player on the pitch by a distance, dazzling with his easy ability to beat opponents.
Charlton immediately took Lookman on trial and soon enough offered him a scholarship. This week, less than three years on, they sold him to Everton for a fee that could rise to £11m. It is a very rare story for a player to go that far, that quickly, and for a Premier League side to invest that much money in someone who simply has not had the academy coaching from the age of eight that so many other boys go through.
Everton start the New Year in style to brush aside struggling Saints
When Lookman arrived at Charlton’s academy, which remains one of the very best in the country, the staff were very keen to make sure that they did not inhibit his natural instincts. Having only played school and Sunday league football before, Lookman had always played with the freedom to express himself, with an easy way to receive the ball at speed and take it past opponents. “We were very conscious not to knock out that innate talent, that love for the football, out of him,” Steve Avory, Charlton academy manager, told The Independent.
What Avory and his team taught Lookman was that there were times when it was better to pass the ball, or that when there were too many opponents on him he should not try to take them all on. It was about making him more aware of the bigger picture while encouraging him to use his skills in dangerous areas.
But Charlton were always very confident in Lookman’s ability to learn. He is a very bright young man who achieved three A*s and five As at GCSE, attending St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham. Charlton’s academy works with Orpington College, giving its scholars one and a half days in the classroom each week towards earning qualifications. Lookman shone and completed a Level 3 BTEC in sport that is equivalent to two A Levels. In April last year he won the Championship ‘Apprentice of the Season’ because of his achievements on and off the pitch.
Lookman broke into the Charlton first team quickly enough, impressing in the Championship last year and League One this year for a series of managers. Whether out on the left or playing as a number 10 he retained that ability to ghost past people that first impressed Charlton three years ago. When Karl Robinson took over in November he knew that he would not get to coach Lookman for long so wanted to point to the example of Dele Alli, who Robinson coached at MK Dons, for how a young player could go from League One to the top flight. Robinson even took Lookman to Wembley to watch Alli play for Spurs in the Champions League, to show him what he could achieve.
The comparison is an important one. Both Lookman and Alli were initially ignored by the big clubs and have both had to learn their trade as teenagers in the lower leagues, playing competitive football against grown men.
Lookman had never been part of an academy or attached to a big club when he was spotted (Getty)
The Lookman story also shows that academies should not just scout for the best talent at 12, 10 or even eight, but that they should keep looking for talented boys who may have fallen through the cracks. Crystal Palace U16s had a game pencilled in against London FA back in April 2014 but it never happened. Had it taken place they would surely have signed Lookman, another south London youngster to add to their ranks. Last August Palace bid £6m for Lookman but it was not enough to buy the one who got away.
The big Premier League teams all knew about Lookman in the end but it was Everton who put up the money to sign the most exciting teenager outside the top two tiers. The other clubs have to ask themselves if their eyes are open to the next brilliant 16-year-old still playing Sunday league.
BornBlue76
Player Valuation: £35m
Read that earlier.. good article... must be plenty of missed opportunities between clubs and players.
Smart kid.
Smart kid.
kenada_blue
Welcome to Barcelonaton FC
BOOOOOOOOOO
Just getting it in early
Just getting it in early
Thinks he's clever does he? Getting booed tomorrow.
Said to @micknick yesterday, he came across as a nice lad in his interview, considering hes from London, he was very well spoken and not a single fam or blud.
Really like the lad me, think hes gonna be a talent and no, not just cos he talks proper.
ijjysmith
Calm
Yeah came across really well. Confident but not overly.
Might actually be a good thing that he didnt through an academy type thing. Means he's a bit different.
The best players arent coached, its just natural.
Look at Rooney at 16, yes I know he had a LOT of coaching, but he played on instinct, SAF got him and you could tell he "coached" him, took the edge of his play, im certainly not saying it didnt make him a better player and at this point im rambling, BAN.
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