Your place to discuss young talent.
Jan Burger at VFL Wolsfburg, the new Phillip Lahm. Will play 80+ games for Germany
16 year old Kazakh Dastan Satpaev scored against Olimpija today to become the youngest player to ever score in UCL qualifying.
Welcome to Real Madrid | Kazakh Killer | 4K
Chelsea bought him last year
honestly, at this point, I respect it
they're going to ruin a lot of careers but I respect it
So many people say this, but provide no reasoning.
Honestly it’s just the long track record. Chelsea have bought a ridiculous number of highly rated wonderkids over the last 15+ years and most never got integrated properly, either getting stuck in the loan cycle or rotting on the bench.
Here's some examples:
Gaël Kakuta, Josh McEachran, Lucas Piazon, Charly Musonda, Marco van Ginkel, Bertrand Traoré, Mario Pašalić, Nathan Aké, Kenneth Omeruo, Baba Rahman, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Lewis Baker, Miazga, Jeremie Boga, Izzy Brown, Bamfors
More recently
Billy Gilmour, Ethan Ampadu, Broja
So people meme it because the club has often stacked young talent without a long-term plan — partly due to constant managerial turnover, partly the ruthless buy-flip model.
Not that other big clubs aren’t guilty, but Chelsea’s sheer volume makes them the poster child.
Players either completely stall in development or they move away from Chelsea before really breaking through
Chelsea have bought
Then proceeds to list a whole bunch of academy lads ffs
Literally none of these player were under our new recruitment team and structure. Literally everything that can changed about a club has.
There's not been a lot of time for wonderkids to stagnate since the new recruitment team and structure has been in place since that's still pretty recent.
Andrey Santos, already loaned out, still nowhere near breaking through.
Cesare Casadei, immediately loaned, trying to find minutes.
Carney Chukwuemeka, largely benched (though to be fair, recent injuries too).
David Datro Fofana, immediately loaned to Union Berlin & now Sevilla.
Angelo Gabriel, already farmed to Strasbourg.
Hutchinson, Hall, Gusto, Maatsen are all facing heavy competition for actual game time, loans galore.
It looks like you just have no clue what is going on.
Santos was in the Ligue 1 TOTS and started for us literally 5 days ago. He will be in the squad this year as Enzo’s backup.
Casedei was sold for a profit 6 months ago
Carney has just been injured, on loan at Dortmund who are looking to extend
Fofana was not ready for the first team, had a decent loan at Burnley, has never set foot in Sevilla, has been injured for the past year.
Angelo was sold for a profit to Al Nassr more than a year ago
Hutchinson was sold to Ioswich more than a year ago after a successful loan and started all year in the Prem
Hall was sold to Newcastle more than a year ago and started all year in the Prem
Gusto has been Reece’s backup the past two years, started most of last year with Reece’s injury. He literally started yesterday and has never been loaned
Maatsen was sold to Villa more than a year ago, also started the UCL with Dortmund last year.
This kinda proves the point though doesn't it? Most of these players weren't integrated into the Chelsea first team at all and Gusto only got integrated due to injuries.
That’s why people meme it as “ruining wonderkids”, it’s not that none of them succeed, it’s that Chelsea rarely give these players serious PL minutes at Stamford Bridge. They’re often just passing through, which stalls or re-routes careers.
Not saying it’s all bad business, it’s very clever financially. But it’s the same cycle that’s gone on for 15+ years, just under a new sporting department. So it’s kinda fair banter.
Most of these examples are not ruined by Chelsea. It either their mentality (Kakuta, McEahran), health (Musonda, Brown, MVG, Broja, RLC) or are simply not good enough (Omeruo, Miazga, Bamford, Piazon). Many got their chance to shine and are not seting the world on fire (Pasalic, Ampadu), and many are good players but not top of the top (CHO, Ake).
Who is to say where individual causes ends and environmental factors begin?
Ibrahim Rabbaj and Dastan Satpaev at Chelsea
Geovany Quenda at Sporting
Chelsea bound.
I mean Cavan Sullivan (purchased by man city already) started his first MLS match at 15. He’s the second youngest player to start an MLS match ever
I’m gonna get stick - but he’s incredibly overrated. At his age level - that Philly team was stacked - and I know 3 players that are better from him from that team that will go on to have better careers. They all had to leave Philly - one is with San Diego, one with RSL, the other with Atl Utd. The one with Atl to me looks the best
He’s 15
Gilberto mora
Elias Montiel
Obed Vargas
They Could possibly be Mexico’s starting midfield in the future
Obed actually represent Mexico now?
Yes, he filed the one time switch
We had our youngest debutant ever the other week. 15-year old Lucas Landgren Persson, remember the name. Clubs like PSV, Ajax and FC Copenhagen have already sniffed around trying to recruit him, but him and his family are all massive Helsingborg fans so he decided to stay and sign a contract at the club.
I believe he went on trial at PSV circa 6 months ago and scored like 8 goals in an internal game lmao. He's already dominating U19 in Sweden as a 15-year old. I'd be extremely shocked if he isn't a Swedish international by at least age 21-22.
He's the clubs biggest hope of restoring the glory days of the past by bringing in lots of fees in transfers, etc. And has been hyped since he was about 13. No pressure lad.
Something weird is happening with that gen because they all seem to explode early. Andersson kid in DIF, This guy, Arrhov who competed for a starting spot at 16 already at BP etc. Brantlind is also a mainstay on IFKs bench and trains with the main team at 16. Not to mention Filling who started for AIK and scored at 16 recently too.
Tons of early bloomers
Is it a systemic thing? Clubs are investing more in youth to remain financially stable/compete or just a freak occurrence?
Clubs have been way more daring with intergrating youth recently so I think its partly that too. Same has happened with younger and more modern managers in Sweden. To great success
Belgium's next big wonderkids:
All will be part of the senior team without a doubt, (unless injury, knock on wood)
Nathan De Cat
that can't be real lmao
Shout out to my boy Gilberto Mora Jr.
He looked great in the gold cup, definitely worth keeping an eye on him.
The shot that Freese saved in the final was lovely.
Alex Toth, he is our most precious piece of treasure 💚🤍
What kind of CDM is he? He’s got a lot of assists last season
Too good for the HU championship, fast, quick decisions, able to play with both feet. In Europe he is just young I guess. ;) needs to build strength. Good character. Enjoys playing, smiles a lot.
Cheers for the response! Ajax is in need of a good ball-playing 6, so he’s definitely an interesting profile! I’m curious what he would cost though?
He has int experience, I do not think he is for sale this season. Although an offer north of 7-8 million would be entertained. But he is young, boyhood club, fans have somebody to identify with. If I were him I would stay for one more season at least. I do not know if his entourage is that smart. The boy is pure gold - at this level. European football is a different ball game apparently compared to HU football.
To be fair that is a fairly reasonable price! Although I do agree, players from their boyhood club should stay there for a longer time, but that’s just modern football nowadays right. We know all about that…
We have not had a honegrown talent for ages. Lisztes joined Eintracht a year ago, he is not playing (apparently was injured) but he may start pre season with them. I can’t even recall anybody of at least lower-middle European level from our own breed. They are just not good enough.
This guy max dowman of arsenal, a level above the players around him.
hopefully they keep things challenging for him. You don't want him to spend too long at junior levels and not develop his skills. Same time, don't want to throw him at the deep end with senior players, and get discouraged playing with them.
Hope the club manage him well.
That pfp is scary af
ha ha, i've had it for 14 years now, it's a kind of tribal mask :)
Can see a few league cup games for him this season.
Max looks scary good!
MILTON DELGADO.
Absolute baller from Boca.
Alexis Olmedo, Andrés Cuenca, Jan Virgili, Jofre Torrents and Quim Junyent from our academy played for Spain u19 these euros. I think Jan Virgili is the one who has more chances of getting some minutes next season. Extremely fast and electric, plays mostly as a LW but can play as a RW too.
i don't expect a lot from any of those talents except probably quim and joffre
Kospo, Torrents and Toni will likely get some time as well. Guille might get a few minutes because he's tempted to leave for "minutes" despite being 17 which is interesting.
If Virgili can replicate what he does in senior football he can be an asset.
His dribbling, pace, agility, close control is top level.
I think we might see some of Eman Kospo or Torrents asw next season
Maybe some Ebrima Tunkara.
Kennet Eichhorn (15, CM/CDM), Julius Gottschalk (16, CAM), and Boris Lum (17, CM/CDM) from Hertha.
All three have been aggressively pursued by major club in Germany and even England. Lum has already made his professional debut and was voted the 2nd best German player of his age group last year. Gottschalk will most likely get his debut this year. And Eichhorn just signed a long term deal to make the professional jump at Hertha. Eichhorn played for the German Hertha U19 team at 15 already, which is pretty crazy.
Eichhorn has played for Hertha’s U19 and the German U16. I agree though, he looks like a great prospect
Sorry for the mix up, you’re right. Big difference!
17 year old Aaron Bouwman from Ajax. Centre back, physically imposing, very quick and agressive too. And of course a good ball-playing defender as well, as per usual with Ajax academy graduates.
Will get a chance this pre-season at Ajax, and if he does well, we might not even need to sign a Rugani replacement!
See that someone mentions a promising kid
Then see the first reply is "Chelsea bound"...
At this point you just can't get excited anymore, truly is the definition of blue balling.
Also, I am very curious about Ibrahim Maza, who recently moved to Leverkusen for 12 million. Very exciting player, should definitely be able to come off the bench for them and contribute.