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Harry Lee and Sonny Cox - sign professional contracts

IndoMike

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Interesting to read the quotes from Matt Taylor for our two hot prospects. This caught my eye:

“It is a battle we are continuing to fight and have to fight every season, and it is not a nice battle to fight as you are against an opponent of Premier League clubs who disrespect you in terms of what they offer, how they value the players at and how we value them.".

Honest talk from Matt and regarding our experience with Chelsea probably true.
Let's hope that they resist the bright lights and stay another season or two
 

Corey

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Interesting to see that Man City spent a decent amount in 400k on a U13 player from Stevenage the other day. Hopefully a sign that big clubs are starting to respect the little clubs that develop talent for them.

Then again may just be a sign that Man City have too much money :LOL:
 

STURTZ

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Ollie's comments re the value of getting experience at a level outside the big academies (i.e. going on loan to WSM and working his way into the first team at City) should be essential reading for these players.
 

Banksy

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Unfortunately money will talk in the end. You haven’t a chance against these greedy grabbers the way things are stacked in football these days.
 

Nigel E

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Do we have a goalkeeping coach anymore? I suppose if I was a budding keeper, I might want to be at a club that had one.
 

Boyo

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Ollie's comments re the value of getting experience at a level outside the big academies (i.e. going on loan to WSM and working his way into the first team at City) should be essential reading for these players.
Ollie and Ampadu are at the extreme ends of the options open to Cox and Lee. Given the choice of being on loan to a Conference South team or gaining experience around a Premier League club, I suspect the vast majority would choose the latter.

Ollie didn’t have a choice at 16. If he did I expect he’d have taken the Premier League route too.
 

older-codger

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I am probably alone in thinking that these youngsters owe a lot to the academy and they should be prepared to show some loyalty for having got them where they are. I know that the money is a big draw but if they are really going to make it big time, then they will do so anyway at an early age a la Ollie and are probably going to do so to a greater degree than if they stay on the fringes of a premier club and then drop back through the leagues having not made the grade that they are hoping for. Staying with the likes of ECFC will probably develop them faster by the age of 18-19 and give them the likelihood of a better bargaining position.

According to the latest FA figures, premiership teams have spent over £272 million on agents in the last year. They haven't spent that to get the likes of Cox and Lee for sure, but on players with more experience and potential that the youngsters will need to compete with for their futures.
 

IndoMike

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I was specifically thinking about Matt's comment about Premier League clubs disrespecting us. It has to be said, or mistake to say it?
 

IndoMike

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I am probably alone in thinking that these youngsters owe a lot to the academy and they should be prepared to show some loyalty for having got them where they are. I know that the money is a big draw but if they are really going to make it big time, then they will do so anyway at an early age a la Ollie and are probably going to do so to a greater degree than if they stay on the fringes of a premier club and then drop back through the leagues having not made the grade that they are hoping for. Staying with the likes of ECFC will probably develop them faster by the age of 18-19 and give them the likelihood of a better bargaining position.

According to the latest FA figures, premiership teams have spent over £272 million on agents in the last year. They haven't spent that to get the likes of Cox and Lee for sure, but on players with more experience and potential that the youngsters will need to compete with for their futures.
The problem (for us) is that even if they don't make it they can still make a lot of money in a short period of time. And as they get older they are exposed to better training facilities, contact with top players, coaches and managers, and probably have a tremendous experience. I guess there is a pathway which suits each player. For Ollie the gradual step-up worked out very well.
 
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Billy The Fish

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I am probably alone in thinking that these youngsters owe a lot to the academy and they should be prepared to show some loyalty for having got them where they are. I know that the money is a big draw but if they are really going to make it big time, then they will do so anyway at an early age a la Ollie and are probably going to do so to a greater degree than if they stay on the fringes of a premier club and then drop back through the leagues having not made the grade that they are hoping for. Staying with the likes of ECFC will probably develop them faster by the age of 18-19 and give them the likelihood of a better bargaining position.

According to the latest FA figures, premiership teams have spent over £272 million on agents in the last year. They haven't spent that to get the likes of Cox and Lee for sure, but on players with more experience and potential that the youngsters will need to compete with for their futures.
I don't disagree with this but the fact that Cox and Lee are boys needs to be taken into account. Boys dream of playing at Wembley and lifting the cup, they dream of scoring the winner for England, they dream of being in the same team as Messi and running out at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge. Remember Sparkes and Ampadu posing for a photo in their Chelsea kit ? It's what boys do. The hard reality doesn't enter into many of their heads.

I'd love them to stay like Watkins did, but honestly, they'll be off if they can.
 
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