Development/Youth Squads 2024/2025 Thread - U18/U21

[Lesta2014]

The goals watchable anywhere? 

[happy85]

Bless Akolbire has seemingly joined Leicester from Arsenal.

The midfielder has been registered in Leicester’s Premier League squad but not Arsenal’s. 

He has featured for Leicester as a trialist recently.

[Foxdiamond]

15 minutes ago, happy85 said:

Bless Akolbire has seemingly joined Leicester from Arsenal.

The midfielder has been registered in Leicester’s Premier League squad but not Arsenal’s. 

He has featured for Leicester as a trialist recently.

Central midfielder. Hails from Edmonton/Tottenham area with Ghanaian heritage. Was first at Colchester before signing for Arsenal and now with us. Good luck to the lad

[Tazfox]

Alves on the bench for Cardiff

[Kilworthfox]

3 hours ago, niyaminski said:

Is that a general rule for all clubs?

 

If it is, I think it’s excellent. It promotes supporting your local team (something that’s getting increasingly less common now) and also gives the club a greater reason to run more “football in the community” projects, especially for younger kids.

It's the rule for all players under 12.

Edited 8 February by Kilworthfox

[Kilworthfox]

5 hours ago, UniFox21 said:

Surely the perfect job is him contributing to the first team on the pitch? 

Then in terms of business of the club, all the hard work put into him isn't fully "worth" unless he signs a professional contract, which looks incredibly unlikely 

Would you suggest he is a failure for got getting any first team minutes at 15? 

 

You mention business. That's exactly what professional foootball is. 

 

Why unlikely? The vast majority of those offered sign. 

[Kilworthfox]

5 hours ago, davieG said:

That's not a measure of the quality of the Academy though that's a reflection on the rules and imbalance of the league. No matter how good the Academy may be we can't compete with those rich 3/4 clubs that have the power of attraction to hoover up the best talent across the leagues.

Sadly the same thing is happening to the Women's game.

Every club has its own positives and negatives. 

 

You could warm more else where. But you could get more opportunities here... 

 

Swings roundabouts

[Kilworthfox]

4 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Brilliant insight. My ill informed opinion is our academy does incredible work through the young age groups and should be immensly proud of the player development, however due to loyalty and stubbornness our older age groups have in the past been neglected in the ambition of getting those players through the final stages of progression to the 1st team.

 

Beaglehole and Peake were there for years at a time that we'd become the flagship midlands club and investment in their replacements as well as snapping up the best young talent from local academies aged 14-17 has not really happened.

 

Each time a U21 boss moves on, we just stick the assistant in temporarily and then just quietly let them do it longer term. Quite possibility sensible with McSweeney given his methods this season and utilising a bunch of the successful title winning U16 squad from last season, but Petty was a waste of time IMO.

I know that when you get the recruitment correct as early as possible there is no need to recruit between 14 and 18. 

 

There was never any budget for these players in the past. This has changed now, however there are so many variables to getting a player of this age in, it's not a simple process. Then again you have Jacob. 

Edited 8 February by Kilworthfox

[Ian Nacho]

Stolaryck makes me feel a lot more confident. 

[Kilworthfox]

3 hours ago, kenny said:

I wonder how many parents of prodigies move house somewhere around the time they are being scouted?

A few but only for those clubs willing to finance the opportunity. It's not in the rules... But it happens. 

 

Never at Leicester however. 

[moore_94]

        

[niyaminski]

21 hours ago, Kilworthfox said:

It's the rule for all players under 12.

Funny as LCFC have just released an interview with Tom Wilson Brown where he says;

 

“When I was seven, eight, nine it was an hour and a half up and down the M1”…

[Kilworthfox]

8 minutes ago, niyaminski said:

Funny as LCFC have just released an interview with Tom Wilson Brown where he says;

 

“When I was seven, eight, nine it was an hour and a half up and down the M1”…

All I can tell you is, what I have written is accurate 100%. 

[LCFCCKEANO]

Know it’s going back a page or two but with the system of players being poached, think part of any comp should be an initially set 15/20% sell on for the developing club

[st albans fox]

55 minutes ago, niyaminski said:

Funny as LCFC have just released an interview with Tom Wilson Brown where he says;

 

“When I was seven, eight, nine it was an hour and a half up and down the M1”…

Yes

45 mins each way 

[Kilworthfox]

24 minutes ago, LCFCCKEANO said:

Know it’s going back a page or two but with the system of players being poached, think part of any comp should be an initially set 15/20% sell on for the developing club

Compo is set and agreed to by the premier league. Yes it favours all the cat 1 clubs (especially with endless finances). Leicester are not at the top of this pyramid for sure, but we are much closer to the top than the bottom. It isn't a fair system, but what is these days. 

Edited 9 February by Kilworthfox

[UniFox21]

On 08/02/2025 at 15:12, Kilworthfox said:

Would you suggest he is a failure for got getting any first team minutes at 15? 

 

You mention business. That's exactly what professional foootball is. 

 

Why unlikely? The vast majority of those offered sign. 

No of course not, it's a brilliant achievement to have a 15yr old on the cusp of the first team. The academy staff need a lot of credit for it. 

 

Was merely querying the definition of perfect outcome that was all. 

 

Only taking the last brilliant talent we had, Nyoni going to Liverpool. Alves I'm not fully counting following his injury etc. 

[Richard]

Stolarczyk, Nelson, Braybrooke, Alves, Monga, Evans build the squad around them next season. 

 

Cash in on Thomas, Choudhury and McAteer if possible 

[Kilworthfox]

1 hour ago, UniFox21 said:

No of course not, it's a brilliant achievement to have a 15yr old on the cusp of the first team. The academy staff need a lot of credit for it. 

 

Was merely querying the definition of perfect outcome that was all. 

 

Only taking the last brilliant talent we had, Nyoni going to Liverpool. Alves I'm not fully counting following his injury etc. 

You may want to critique the club for that situation, but the club isn't at fault for every player that departs.

[FOXYTALK]

18 hours ago, Richard said:

Stolarczyk, Nelson, Braybrooke, Alves, Monga, Evans build the squad around them next season. 

 

Cash in on Thomas, Choudhury and McAteer if possible 

We didn't cash in 😅

[lanefox]

Nice of the club to provide the highlights to the under 21's impressive 5-1 win on Friday 🙄🙄🙄🙄

[Pliskin]

Got tickets for the Derby game. It’s my first time going to Seagrave, is there anything that’s useful to know before attending? 

[Ric Flair]

2 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Got tickets for the Derby game. It’s my first time going to Seagrave, is there anything that’s useful to know before attending? 

The hot dogs from the van there are world class

[Lesta Legend]

1 minute ago, Ric Flair said:

The hot dogs from the van there are world class

You love a sausage, no euphemism intended. 

[Ric Flair]

16 minutes ago, Lesta Legend said:

You love a sausage, no euphemism intended. 

Don't we all