Jeremy Monga

[murphy]

18 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

I think the issue is we are way too cautious about giving our better academy prospects opportunities a lot earlier, we seem to be immune to bringing players into regular first team involvement before they are 20. 
 

Would be good to see players like Evans, Monga et al given the opportunity in the 1st team before they hit 18 as that would be a real statement of intent from the club that if you are good enough then you are old enough. We have to make it a clear strategy that sets us apart from other clubs that we will give our most talented players 1st team exposure at a young age, otherwise we will continue to lose our brightest talents to others clubs. 

I think a player needs to be exceptional to go straight into the first team as a young teenager.  Shilton comes to mind and Heskey who had the advantage of being a brick shithouse even as a kid.  That said, Thomas and Barnes were 19 when they made their first team debuts and Chilwell 20.  KDH older but some players will be later developers.  I think you have to be careful not to rush it if it can be detrimental.

 

I remember when Barnes was pulling up trees for West Brom and came back into Puel's first team.  He looked a bit lost at first and hence the point of sending players out on loan at lower levels.  Development is not about making one massive step up, it is a series of steps.

 

Perhaps the only advantage of going down to the Championship next year is the fact that we could blood players like Alves, Nelson ourselves.  Maybe Cartwright and Braybrooke if they're good enough and I would like to see us build our team around academy graduates.  I would also be telling Evans and Monga (still schoolboys remember)  that they will be involved as much as possible and spelling out their pathway if they stayed.  

 

 

[dmayne7]

1 hour ago, murphy said:

I think a player needs to be exceptional to go straight into the first team as a young teenager.  Shilton comes to mind and Heskey who had the advantage of being a brick shithouse even as a kid.  That said, Thomas and Barnes were 19 when they made their first team debuts and Chilwell 20.  KDH older but some players will be later developers.  I think you have to be careful not to rush it if it can be detrimental.

 

I remember when Barnes was pulling up trees for West Brom and came back into Puel's first team.  He looked a bit lost at first and hence the point of sending players out on loan at lower levels.  Development is not about making one massive step up, it is a series of steps.

 

Perhaps the only advantage of going down to the Championship next year is the fact that we could blood players like Alves, Nelson ourselves.  Maybe Cartwright and Braybrooke if they're good enough and I would like to see us build our team around academy graduates.  I would also be telling Evans and Monga (still schoolboys remember)  that they will be involved as much as possible and spelling out their pathway if they stayed.  

 

 

Yep, because we're saw so many of them given a chance last year. Wanya was in because we had no other options then he was done, Nelson did really well in the handful of games he played but barley featured. No Alves or Braybrooke even when fit. McAteer the only guy to feature properly and he was 22 so not super young. Had a much better team than everyone else so slotting in more youngsters should have been possible.

 

I absolutely do not expect to see a Leicester squad with 4-5 18 years as key members of it, but the amount of chances we give to young players is abysmal. How many cup games do we sit through, frustrated that we've only got 1 or 2 academy players on the bench with none in the starting lineup, and then we're lucky if one of those lads gets 5 mins. That's absolutely no pathway. On top of that, we have so many players that just rot in youth team football with no first team loan until they're about 21, so you've massively destroyed their development.

 

The depressing thing is that, baser on evidence, Monga would absolutely have a better chance of breaking through at Man City than here. That's crazy on every level. I don't think it's about us ensuring that we're making a new youngster a key player every season, but we have to be less conservative in our approach. That means giving lads 5-10 cameo appearances to see if they can make it and then being really proactive in getting loans. So many talented players who will never play professionally and that's because of their mentality (which isn't tested until they get a chance) and mainly down to timing/luck.

[Foxmeister]

We could always offer him 60k a week for 3 years, it would cost 9m which is probably still below his market value.

[AKCJ]

5 minutes ago, Foxmeister said:

We could always offer him 60k a week for 3 years, it would cost 9m which is probably still below his market value.

It's not going to be about money for him but if he comes through at Man City then they will make his family wealthier than we could even imagine. 

 

This issue is about a clear route to first team football.

[coolhandfox]

4 hours ago, Foxmeister said:

We could always offer him 60k a week for 3 years, it would cost 9m which is probably still below his market value.

Average wages in the championship is 30k, you suggesting we pay a player who 16 and many not make it 60k a week for 3 years.

 

Give him a route to the first team, if is come to money Man City will be able to offer more then us.

 

 

 

 

Edited 10 March by coolhandfox

[Foxmeister]

3 hours ago, coolhandfox said:

Average wages in the championship is 30k, you suggesting we pay a player who 16 and many not make it 60k a week for 3 years.

 

Give him a route to the first team, if is come to money Man City will be able to offer more then us.

 

 

 

 

It depends on how much we value the player in terms of his sell on value less the minimal amount we'll get from a tribunal. If he's not worth what it would cost to keep him let him go. 

 

He sure as hell isn't going to Man City to get in the first team quicker than he would here.

[moore_94]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14551965/15-year-old-England-youth-wonderkid-Man-City-Barcelona-Leicester.html
 

Meet the 15-year-old England youth wonderkid being tracked by Man City and Barcelona - and why Leicester face a fierce battle to keep their star
 

Sometimes it is a single touch. A feint this way, a move that. A sudden acceleration. It does not take much for coaches to recognise a special talent and at Leicester, they have been very excited about Jeremy Monga for some time.

 

Monga does not turn 16 until July but he has already been on the bench for the first team for the FA Cup tie at Manchester United in February. He is regarded as one of the best prospects ever to emerge from the Leicester academy and with Ruud van Nistelrooy's side apparently heading back to the Championship, many fans want to see the young man given his chance now.

 

When his education allows, Monga trains with Leicester's first team, often on Thursdays. He was first asked to join the seniors by former Foxes boss Steve Cooper at the start of the season and Mail Sport understands he made an immediate impression.

 

Where many young players will play it safe and simply try to avoid mistakes during these sessions, Monga expressed himself. A right-footed left winger who can also operate in other attacking roles, Monga would seek to take on his full back and take risks – just as he would in Leicester's junior ranks. He was confident around his elder colleagues and conducted himself as though he belonged.

 

Leicester's academy has Category One status, ensuring it attracts high-level players and competition for spots once there is fierce. Those who watch academy football closely believe Leicester have plenty of players who will have professional careers.

 

In a system like that, it is difficult enough for a 15-year-old to be selected for the Under-18 side, let alone the Under-21s. Not only has Monga forced his way into the Under-21s, he already has two goals and two assists in Premier League2, the top flight competition for developing players.

 

Now for the difficult part. When a player as gifted as Monga, an England Under-16 international, takes his first steps at a club, it does not take long for word to circulate. Mail Sport understands Manchester City have been following him closely for some time, while Chelsea, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been moving in the background. As long ago as last summer, Leicester were fearful that their jewel might be taken from them before he could become a first-team regular.

 

Players cannot sign a professional contract before they turn 17, and Monga will not reach that age until July 2026. Offers can, however, be made some time before that. If an Under-16 player wishes to move elsewhere, he must inform his club and the league in writing by no later than the first Saturday in June.

 

Though rival clubs rarely make direct approaches in these cases, it is not difficult to ensure the target becomes aware of their interest: a discreet word in the right ear here, a quick conversation with an influential person there.

 

Then there are the more brazen efforts. The trials, the invitations to Champions League matches for all the family, the tours of the training facilities and opportunities to meet the stars of the first-team squad. Not to mention the contract and salary on offer – once again, there are many ways to make sure those details find their way to the player and his family, without fingerprints.

 

When a gifted youngster leaves a mid-ranking club for a wealthier, more successful one, the blame game from supporters on social media is inevitable. The player or his family are 'greedy'; the club are incompetent or unambitious for failing to keep him.

 

Yet consider both sides. Which teenage footballer would not be tempted by a Champions League club? Which family would not consider financial offers that could change their lives? 
 

Similarly, is it really the fault of clubs at Leicester's level if they cannot always hang on to their best prospects when the elite are in the market, and with the rules as they are? Both at senior and junior level, the best players are attracted by the best clubs and those clubs will do everything in their power to ensure those wishes come true.

 

Not that this is a guarantee of success. 'There are so many touch points for academy players,' an experienced youth coach told Mail Sport. 'There is football, school, their family, their friends. Then from a young age they are trying to get international recognition – that has a big effect on their confidence.

 

'The ones with the best chance of making it are the ones who are able to keep their lives very simple. Focus on school, focus on football. There are so many distractions at that age.'

 

When they are trying to keep a coveted academy player, clubs end up treading on eggshells. Mail Sport has learned of academy coaches who are reprimanded by senior officials for giving these starlets a rollicking if they perform poorly or lack application. 'Whatever you do, don't upset them, or we'll have no chance of keeping them,' runs the general message. If the rest of the squad see certain players receiving preferential treatment, it can cause widespread resentment.

 

For their part, Leicester want to avoid a repeat of Trey Nyoni's move to Liverpool in September 2023.

 

Like Monga, Nyoni was one of the best talents in the Leicester academy but was persuaded to move to Anfield aged 16. Now 17, he has made 15 senior appearances for the Reds, with the compensation package due to Leicester still to be determined by a tribunal.

 

'Jeremy is a great talent that for me is a vital part of the future of this club,' Van Nistelrooy said in January. 'We're looking to start conversations to keep him at the club. It's important for me that that can work out. We're planning that.

 

'We're looking at his development, where he is now. He's 15, he's still in school, only on Thursdays is he available for training with us. So in that perspective, we have to see what's best for him, and the pathway to the first team and senior football.

 

'We are presenting to him our thoughts and my thoughts on him. I think very highly of him and want him to be part of the long-term future of this club.

 

'(His talent's been noticed) by the whole world. That's why we have him with the first team where possible. That's why conversations with him and his family will start soon.

 

'I will of course be talking with him and his family, presenting him a pathway that we think is best to get him into the first team.'

 

Clubs like Leicester want players like Monga to become stars of their first team, role models for their peers and heroes for their supporters. Ideally, they will generate tens of millions in transfer revenue one day.

 

For the top clubs, the calculation is much colder: if one of the youngsters they sign breaks into the first team, brilliant. If a couple more do not quite make it but can be sold for a tidy sum, that's good too. The reality is, though, that the majority will not meet the required standard and have to rebuild their careers, when they are still very young.

 

At the age of 15, having to make a decision that may shape a career is pretty tough. For Leicester and Monga, as for the many similar clubs and players across the world in similar situations, the outcome could have a huge impact on the future. For football's richest, however, the wheels keep on turning, as remorselessly as ever.

[moore_94]

At least it shouldn’t drag on all summer if he is going

 

“If an Under-16 player wishes to move elsewhere, he must inform his club and the league in writing by no later than the first Saturday in June.”

Edited 31 March by moore_94

[ian__marshall]

4 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

At least it shouldn’t drag on all summer if he is going

 

“If an Under-16 player wishes to move elsewhere, he must inform his club and the league in writing by no later than the first Saturday in June.”

Until next year, when the whole circus starts again. 

[AjcW]

Part of me thinks the big clubs might play the game on this one, some sort of gentlemans agreement with the player that he stays with us for another season and plays a fair chunk of games.

 

That way they appear a little less vulture like and we get to see him play..... and retire his number like Jude  

[AKCJ]

We can't make Trey Nyoni the norm. We've invested so heavily in the training ground and academy that we need to see players coming through.

 

When was the last time a player came through our academy and straight into our first team? I know Wanya Marcal played a bit last season but who was the last player to come through the academy and get decent game time before needing to go on loan for 2/3 years?

[Stadt]

10 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

We can't make Trey Nyoni the norm. We've invested so heavily in the training ground and academy that we need to see players coming through.

 

When was the last time a player came through our academy and straight into our first team? I know Wanya Marcal played a bit last season but who was the last player to come through the academy and get decent game time before needing to go on loan for 2/3 years?

Thomas.

 

He looked better fresh out of the academy than he did after a few years around the first team. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

13 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

We can't make Trey Nyoni the norm. We've invested so heavily in the training ground and academy that we need to see players coming through.

 

When was the last time a player came through our academy and straight into our first team? I know Wanya Marcal played a bit last season but who was the last player to come through the academy and get decent game time before needing to go on loan for 2/3 years?

Careful, this kind of sensible, mildly ambitious talk about actually expecting Seagrave to bear some fruit winds people up on here for some reason. 

[dmayne7]

1 hour ago, moore_94 said:

At least it shouldn’t drag on all summer if he is going

 

“If an Under-16 player wishes to move elsewhere, he must inform his club and the league in writing by no later than the first Saturday in June.”

I read that as June 2026. Not a very well worded article. And would be weird that he then can't talk to other clubs for over a year

[dmayne7]

19 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

We can't make Trey Nyoni the norm. We've invested so heavily in the training ground and academy that we need to see players coming through.

 

When was the last time a player came through our academy and straight into our first team? I know Wanya Marcal played a bit last season but who was the last player to come through the academy and get decent game time before needing to go on loan for 2/3 years?

It's my biggest gripe. Not necessarily the number of players making the grade but we are woeful when it comes to giving lads 5/10 games to see if they have something about them. Wouldn't be so bad if we were really proactive with getting loans sorted, but we're shocking at that as well.

 

People will point to the likes of Barnes, Chilwell, KDH, Thomas and Choudhury as evidence we do something right, but those are basically the only guys who have ever been given a chance to play (and most after loan spells). Imagine how many more you might have if you actually took the chance?

[moore_94]

6 minutes ago, dmayne7 said:

I read that as June 2026. Not a very well worded article. And would be weird that he then can't talk to other clubs for over a year

Would be June 2025 if he turns 16 in July 2025 wouldn’t it?

[davieG]

1 hour ago, moore_94 said:

'Jeremy is a great talent that for me is a vital part of the future of this club,' Van Nistelrooy said in January. 'We're looking to start conversations to keep him at the club. It's important for me that that can work out. We're planning that.

 

'We're looking at his development, where he is now. He's 15, he's still in school, only on Thursdays is he available for training with us. So in that perspective, we have to see what's best for him, and the pathway to the first team and senior football.

 

'We are presenting to him our thoughts and my thoughts on him. I think very highly of him and want him to be part of the long-term future of this club.

If I was Monga I'd be listening to that and thinking "yeah but will you still be here, is this you talking or the club and Rudkin, there is no stability at this club so no thanks".

[dmayne7]

5 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

Would be June 2025 if he turns 16 in July 2025 wouldn’t it?

Not sure! Because at 16, you still can't sign a pro contract, so unless that means that under 16 you can move wherever but when you get to 16 you can only sign pro terms with another club on the date you're eligible for a pro contract?

[davieG]

Maybe Ruud would be better as a DOF with a coach under him. A big name, big contacts, big draw.

[dooflip]

On 09/03/2025 at 09:24, murphy said:

 

I remember when Barnes was pulling up trees for West Brom and came back into Puel's first team.  He looked a bit lost at first and hence the point of sending players out on loan at lower levels.  Development is not about making one massive step up, it is a series of steps.

 

The young lads couldn’t look more lost than the players we’ve had to watch all season.

[Stadt]

2 hours ago, davieG said:

Maybe Ruud would be better as a DOF with a coach under him. A big name, big contacts, big draw.

We should just employ people with a good track record in the right roles.

 

No Rudkin, Pearson, Puel, Steve Walsh whoever as a DoF, just go and recruit one with a good track record and background as director of football.

[indierich06]

It's easier for big clubs like Man City to blood youngsters - they can field 10 word class players and a kid, and the pros will carry him if he has a bad game. The big clubs are also in more comps, have more fixtures, so they have more opportunities. Clubs like Leicester are too afraid to do it because they want to win every point possible and blooding youngsters goes against that, even if it's counterproductive for the longer term. It's cowardice basically.

[ajthefox]

3 hours ago, AKCJ said:

We can't make Trey Nyoni the norm. We've invested so heavily in the training ground and academy that we need to see players coming through.

 

When was the last time a player came through our academy and straight into our first team? I know Wanya Marcal played a bit last season but who was the last player to come through the academy and get decent game time before needing to go on loan for 2/3 years?

I agree and it is definitely something we can improve on.

That said, ultimately there is only so much you can do. You could do all the right things and a player might still leave for Man City or Liverpool because those clubs are who they are and money talks. Even if we weren't currently a shambles, the pull of those clubs has got to be huge for a young talent. 

[davieG]

He's just as likely to go to Forest than us at the moment.

 

Football success for clubs outside the top 5 is very cyclic and he'll be reminded that our time has passed.

[AKCJ]

Is he in the 14 to 15 years old school year or 15 to 16?

 

I'd imagine there's no way he'll play much if he's still going to be at secondary school during next season.