Youth Team Player Contracts

IllinoisBlue · March 21, 2015

It's been pretty well publicized in this forum that Luke Garbutt is out of contract this year, and most of us want to see him sign a new one on the basis of some promising performances in the first team.

I looked and noticed that several other youth team players are out of contract this year.

Luke Garbutt
Matthew Pennington
Conor Grant
Matthew Kennedy
John Lundstram
Hallam Hope
Chris Long

Is it normal to leave it so late in the day to tie these lads to new contracts, assuming they are ready?

Pienaar's gloves · March 21, 2015

Maybe Long will stay, I suspect the rest may go.

ijjysmith · March 21, 2015

Depends if they're any good mate.

I think Hope has left already anyway.

But like only Garbutt is really going to be good enought from that list anyway.

Maybe Long too. Seems to be doing ok on loan at Brentford.

messymascot · March 21, 2015

Hallam Hope and Matthew Kennedy have already left. I expect John Lundstram to leave at the end of the season. Conor Grant, Chris Long and Matthew Pennington are all out on loan I suppose it depends how they get on. Normally unless they are exceptional talents they get 1 or 2 year contracts which are allowed to run to give the club some flexibility as even if they leave so long as the club make them an offer in writing they are entitled to compensation if player joins another English club.

Coffee and TV · March 22, 2015

From a money point of view, if we offer them a contract and they choose to leave we get compensation even if their contract has run down because they're all under 24. It's pretty normal to have players around that age coming to the end of their first professional contract because generally the club gives one, two or three year contracts out to the best academy graduates around the age of 17. The fact their contract is running down isn't a big deal because out of that list of players:

Matthew Pennington is 20 and on loan in league one, no one more appealing than Everton is going to swoop in and offer him a contract
Conor Grant is up in Scotland on loan, pretty much the same deal here
Matthew Kennedy has left
John Lundstram is out on loan somewhere after failing at several different clubs, I think we will probably let him go this summer tbh.
Hallam Hope has left
Chris Long is on loan in the Championship, out of all of them he's probably the most high profile but again we are his best choice so theres no real risk of losing him

The reason it's a big deal for Garbutt is because he's started playing in the first team. This means other prem teams will be paying attention to him and he could in theory have a good move to a high profile club for free (although compensation would be involved).

Jxg · March 22, 2015

Coffee and TV said:
From a money point of view, if we offer them a contract and they choose to leave we get compensation even if their contract has run down because they're all under 24. It's pretty normal to have players around that age coming to the end of their first professional contract because generally the club gives one, two or three year contracts out to the best academy graduates around the age of 17. The fact their contract is running down isn't a big deal because out of that list of players:

Matthew Pennington is 20 and on loan in league one, no one more appealing than Everton is going to swoop in and offer him a contract

Conor Grant is up in Scotland on loan, pretty much the same deal here

Matthew Kennedy has left

John Lundstram is out on loan somewhere after failing at several different clubs, I think we will probably let him go this summer tbh.

Hallam Hope has left

Chris Long is on loan in the Championship, out of all of them he's probably the most high profile but again we are his best choice so theres no real risk of losing him

The reason it's a big deal for Garbutt is because he's started playing in the first team. This means other prem teams will be paying attention to him and he could in theory have a good move to a high profile club for free (although compensation would be involved).