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

[Lesta2014]

15 hours ago, chris1232 said:

 

This lad has great feet, but unlike monga/evans still very much has the physic of a child so is a way off the first team route. 

[chris1232]

58 minutes ago, Lesta2014 said:

This lad has great feet, but unlike monga/evans still very much has the physic of a child so is a way off the first team route. 

He's 14 thou, born in 2011. so a few years of 16 

[Noahfence]

I’m someone with zero inside knowledge of the academy and who’s highly rated etc, I just keep an eye on results and line ups. Would it be fair to say we’ve got quite a promising crop of players in the u16-u18 teams? or is it no more promising than previous years? 
 

You read quite a bit from people in the know who say there’s some real talent coming through. 

[Ric Flair]

16 minutes ago, Noahfence said:

I’m someone with zero inside knowledge of the academy and who’s highly rated etc, I just keep an eye on results and line ups. Would it be fair to say we’ve got quite a promising crop of players in the u16-u18 teams? or is it no more promising than previous years? 
 

You read quite a bit from people in the know who say there’s some real talent coming through. 

Oh this is definitely signs of the hard work and investment that's come with being the most successful club in the midlands in the last decade. We've played the long game rather than throwing millions at the older age groups as well.

 

Just hope we aren't ripped apart as we are now not the club we once were and these talents might be tempted elsewhere. Certainly need to do better to prove we're their best club to come through in to the 1st team.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

17 hours ago, chris1232 said:

 

Until we start seeing youth players making first team appearances I'm not buying the Seagrave hype one bit. Since Barnes we haven't produced an in house player that improves the starting XI.

[Ric Flair]

Just now, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Until we start seeing youth players making first team appearances I'm not buying the Seagrave hype one bit. Since Barnes we haven't produced an in house player that improves the starting XI.

Nyoni, Evans and Monga are all PL destined players. There's many coming through but you wouldn't trust us to getting the benefits 😂😂

[Sol thewall Bamba]

24 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Nyoni, Evans and Monga are all PL destined players. There's many coming through but you wouldn't trust us to getting the benefits 😂😂

That's it isn't it. If we can't tie down the best players we produce and offer them a route to a decent first team, then it's completely pointless and Seagrave is just a big vanity project for the owner to ride his hoverboard round.

[Kilworthfox]

7 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

That's it isn't it. If we can't tie down the best players we produce and offer them a route to a decent first team, then it's completely pointless and Seagrave is just a big vanity project for the owner to ride his hoverboard round.

1 player left. 

All the others signed.

You cant suggest a trend based on 1 event. The trend is that they sign and play u16, u18, u23, First team games.

 

I'll give you a simple example: If I had a star pupil at my school and wanted him / her to go to our sixth form, but s/he choose to leave for a college, then as a Teacher I'd have no way of enforcing the pupil to stay.  It is their decision. End of story!

 

"IF" you can't tie down an asset, then you fall back to the agreed financial framework for Cat 1 academies. "WE" may not like it, but "WE" agreed to it. It could work in our favour or against us.

I'd suggest the rules as always favour the haves, far more than the have nots. As I have mentioned before, it is not a case that we are at the bottom of the pyramid, in fact LCFC has Cat 1 status. They have 1 if not the best facilities in the land / world. There are many variables on which someone may choose to stay or go. I can't possibly begin to tell you even half of them.

 

I'd suggest in the worst case scenario it is not completely pointless as the Club would be renumerated, this would go in as pure profit against any current PSR rules. The amount will be the amount, the club can not control this. Yes it should have been sorted by now.

 

Seagrave is a very good facility for its purpose, having said that so was Belvoir Drive. I am unsure you have been, but from the above comment I find it doubtful. Would you trust the money spent on the Seagrave facility in the hands of those who have spent the last £100 Million? What would we have now?

 

I appreciate you may be frustrated with the club for many reasons, but I would counter that the academy is functioning now, and for the last decade, as well as anyone could have reasonably expected. It has turned a huge profit in this time. It is and has, actively contributed to the first team in terms of players on the pitch, and player sales which go back into the club for reinvestment.

 

Unless our senior recruitment massively improves to a stage it was operating at, a decade ago, I find it highly unlikely that we will be able to recruit the quality of players we are currently projected to be producing, now and the very near future. I don't see many quality International players (difference makers) being purchased, but produced in house, I do. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

47 minutes ago, Kilworthfox said:

1 player left. 

All the others signed.

You cant suggest a trend based on 1 event. The trend is that they sign and play u16, u18, u23, First team games.

 

I'll give you a simple example: If I had a star pupil at my school and wanted him / her to go to our sixth form, but s/he choose to leave for a college, then as a Teacher I'd have no way of enforcing the pupil to stay.  It is their decision. End of story!

 

"IF" you can't tie down an asset, then you fall back to the agreed financial framework for Cat 1 academies. "WE" may not like it, but "WE" agreed to it. It could work in our favour or against us.

I'd suggest the rules as always favour the haves, far more than the have nots. As I have mentioned before, it is not a case that we are at the bottom of the pyramid, in fact LCFC has Cat 1 status. They have 1 if not the best facilities in the land / world. There are many variables on which someone may choose to stay or go. I can't possibly begin to tell you even half of them.

 

I'd suggest in the worst case scenario it is not completely pointless as the Club would be renumerated, this would go in as pure profit against any current PSR rules. The amount will be the amount, the club can not control this. Yes it should have been sorted by now.

 

Seagrave is a very good facility for its purpose, having said that so was Belvoir Drive. I am unsure you have been, but from the above comment I find it doubtful. Would you trust the money spent on the Seagrave facility in the hands of those who have spent the last £100 Million? What would we have now?

 

I appreciate you may be frustrated with the club for many reasons, but I would counter that the academy is functioning now, and for the last decade, as well as anyone could have reasonably expected. It has turned a huge profit in this time. It is and has, actively contributed to the first team in terms of players on the pitch, and player sales which go back into the club for reinvestment.

 

Unless our senior recruitment massively improves to a stage it was operating at, a decade ago, I find it highly unlikely that we will be able to recruit the quality of players we are currently projected to be producing, now and the very near future. I don't see many quality International players (difference makers) being purchased, but produced in house, I do. 

That's a lot of waffle to be honest. The job of the academy is to produce players to improve the first team. That's the be all and end all. It hasn't done that since Barnes/KDH whoever broke out second I can't remember.

 

That might be too black and white for you but it doesn't make it wrong.

[LCFCJohn]

9 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Until we start seeing youth players making first team appearances I'm not buying the Seagrave hype one bit. Since Barnes we haven't produced an in house player that improves the starting XI.

Did I imagine KDH? 😉

[Kilworthfox]

10 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

That's a lot of waffle to be honest. The job of the academy is to produce players to improve the first team. That's the be all and end all. It hasn't done that since Barnes/KDH whoever broke out second I can't remember.

 

That might be too black and white for you but it doesn't make it wrong.

I can agree to disagree 

[Kilworthfox]

4 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

Did I imagine KDH? 😉

Chilwell

Thomas

Choudhury

Bassey

McAteer

Knight

Moore

Iversen

Stolarczyk

Nelson

Alves

Nyoni

 

There are and will continue to be more coming through. If a section of the fans aren't happy with the above, and future players, I am unsure what they would be happy with. 

 

 

[Richard]

10 hours ago, Noahfence said:

I’m someone with zero inside knowledge of the academy and who’s highly rated etc, I just keep an eye on results and line ups. Would it be fair to say we’ve got quite a promising crop of players in the u16-u18 teams? or is it no more promising than previous years? 
 

You read quite a bit from people in the know who say there’s some real talent coming through. 

Some inside the club are saying it's the most exciting crop since O'Grady and Sheehan in 2003

[Sol thewall Bamba]

59 minutes ago, Kilworthfox said:

Chilwell

Thomas

Choudhury

Bassey

McAteer

Knight

Moore

Iversen

Stolarczyk

Nelson

Alves

Nyoni

 

There are and will continue to be more coming through. If a section of the fans aren't happy with the above, and future players, I am unsure what they would be happy with. 

 

 

Some of these names are absolutely desperate, and none of them improved the first team more recently than KDH/Barnes, which was my entire point.

 

1 hour ago, LCFCJohn said:

Did I imagine KDH? 😉

I clarified in my other post that it was either Barnes or KDH who was the last academy product to improve the first team.

 

No one can provide any more recent ones because there aren't any.

[Aus Fox]

2 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Some of these names are absolutely desperate, and none of them improved the first team more recently than KDH/Barnes, which was my entire point.

 

I clarified in my other post that it was either Barnes or KDH who was the last academy product to improve the first team.

 

No one can provide any more recent ones because there aren't any.

If our team now was 

 

Stolarczyk 

 

Choudhury 

Bassey

Nelson

Chilwell

 

KDH

Braybrooke 

McAteer

 

Alves

Evans

Barnes

 

Bench: Iversen, Schlupp, Monga, Thomas, Hirst, Nono, Joseph, Cover, Rochards

 

Would it be that much worse than what we have currently? 
 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

3 minutes ago, Aus Fox said:

If our team now was 

 

Stolarczyk 

 

Choudhury 

Bassey

Nelson

Chilwell

 

KDH

Braybrooke 

McAteer

 

Alves

Evans

Barnes

 

Bench: Iversen, Schlupp, Monga, Thomas, Hirst, Nono, Joseph, Cover, Rochards

 

Would it be that much worse than what we have currently? 
 

How does this relate to my original point that there hasn't been a youth player to improve the first team since Barnes/KDH? 

[LCFCJohn]

36 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Some of these names are absolutely desperate, and none of them improved the first team more recently than KDH/Barnes, which was my entire point.

 

I clarified in my other post that it was either Barnes or KDH who was the last academy product to improve the first team.

 

No one can provide any more recent ones because there aren't any.

Missed that one 👍

 

Barnes was definitely around first. 

[deep blue]

Just now, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Some of these names are absolutely desperate, and none of them improved the first team more recently than KDH/Barnes, which was my entire point.

 

I clarified in my other post that it was either Barnes or KDH who was the last academy product to improve the first team.

 

No one can provide any more recent ones because there aren't any.

Bassey would certainly have improved the current team, had he been given the opportunity.  Given our CB shortcomings, how we must rue not bringing him through. A solid CB who also pops up with the occasional goal, ... in a successful Prem team.

Edited 20 February by deep blue
Autocorrect error

[Lcfcwigstonblue]

9 hours ago, Aus Fox said:

If our team now was 

 

Stolarczyk 

 

Choudhury 

Bassey

Nelson

Chilwell

 

KDH

Braybrooke 

McAteer

 

Alves

Evans

Barnes

 

Bench: Iversen, Schlupp, Monga, Thomas, Hirst, Nono, Joseph, Cover, Rochards

 

Would it be that much worse than what we have currently? 
 

That team beats the record low points in the Prem 

[UniFox21]

1 hour ago, deep blue said:

Bassey would certainly have improved the current team, had he been given the opportunity.  Given our CB shortcomings, how we must rue not bringing him through. A solid CB who also pops up with the occasional goal, ... in a successful Prem team.

He wanted to play LB, he didn't want to play CB where the club thought he was best. Hence he didn't sign a contract. 

[blue army 1988]

44 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

He wanted to play LB, he didn't want to play CB where the club thought he was best. Hence he didn't sign a contract. 

The annoying thing about it is the position he plays now in another team.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

1 hour ago, deep blue said:

Bassey would certainly have improved the current team, had he been given the opportunity.  Given our CB shortcomings, how we must rue not bringing him through. A solid CB who also pops up with the occasional goal, ... in a successful Prem team.

Absolutely agree, hence why I said in my first post that we have to provide a route to the first team for youth players, otherwise we'll lose them. Exactly like what happened to Bassey.

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Exactly like what happened to Bassey.

He was offered a route as a CB but did not want that, although that's where he's ended up playing.

 

I think the gap between Barnes/KDH and now  is because we were still playing and supporting youngster that were recruited whilst still at Belvoir Drive and destined to play in the Championship/L1/L2  which was where the 1st team were playing. Hence why the U21/23s were awash with 21, 22 and 23 years olds with no real prospect of playing in the PL.

[bmt]

14 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

The job of the academy is to produce players to improve the first team. That's the be all and end all.

Why is it? Because you decided?

 

Anyway to your point, which was about Seagrave. There's a really good chance in the next few years we could have multiple we sell for fees and multiple that make it in our first team - in fact people are talking about a few of our under 18s as the best generation we have had - and Monga as an exceptional talent. It's only been there 4 years. How long does it take an academy player to come through?

Edited 20 February by bmt

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ruud-van-nistelrooy-reveals-pick-9959717

 

Ruud van Nistelrooy reveals when he will pick Jake Evans for Leicester City first team
The 16-year-old is performing extremely well for the club's Under-21s, netting a hat-trick at Newcastle last Friday to become Premier League 2's leading goalscorer

ByJordan Blackwell
07:00, 20 FEB 2025

Sixteen-year-old Jake Evans has scored nine goals in 11 games in Premier League 2 this season (Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

Ruud van Nistelrooy has to be “careful” with 16-year-old Leicester City prospect Jake Evans but insists he will use him if he feels he can outshine the club’s first-team players.

Evans’ star is on the rise after a hat-trick for City’s Under-21s against Newcastle last Friday propelled him to the top of the Premier League 2 scorers’ chart.

He now has nine goals in 11 appearances in the division, with only Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri ever scoring more at the same age.

 

With City’s senior players having only scored four goals in their last 10 Premier League fixtures, there are growing calls for Evans to be given a chance.

That opportunity does not look like it will come this Friday night against Brentford, with van Nistelrooy revealing that Evans is now dealing with a “little injury”. But when he’s fit, he’s not being ruled out of contention based on his age.

“We have to be careful with our talents,” van Nistelrooy said. “Realistically, it’s very simple. When they’re ready and good enough and better than what we have, they’re going to have to play, because it’s the best for the football club.

“For Jake now, he’s adjusting to training with the first team, making very valuable minutes in the Under-21s. He’s picked up a little injury now so we need to look after him.

“Let’s hope he keeps developing and can train a lot more with us. But we have to also be careful. Little injuries like he has now, we have to assess him, we hope it’s not much. He’s a great prospect for the future and hopefully the near, near future.”

With the free-scoring 16-year-old not available, City’s regular first-team attackers must find their shooting boots this Friday to avoid the club setting an unwanted record.

They have lost five home league games in a row without scoring. No top-flight English club has ever done so six games in a row in the same season.

Van Nistelrooy said: “We have to look to be ruthless, but ruthless is in both boxes. So a clearance or a block in your own last third always has to be ruthless. A tackle there is vital, concede a penalty or not, whether you clear the ball off the line or not.

“So that's where the games get decided, in both boxes. It's not a button you can switch on for a game.

“I think you have to demand that in every training session. In every finishing drill, in every attack versus defence drill, score, score, score.

“For me it's a process that I'm in with the team. To keep improving we're trying to do that on a daily basis, trying to improve.”