I'm wondering if the plan is to move to a similar model as Brentford but with a full youth setup. I don't think they have an academy but their B team trains and plays like the first team and play friendlies with anybody you'll give them one instead of playing in a league. B teams won't work in this country. The league structure is too hierarchical. It woild kill off a lot of lower league teams. Where they do have B teams in Spain and Germany the lower leagues are regionalised. Segunda B in Spain have teams like between L1 and national league south and north. Rules are strict as the players have to be either U21 or U23 and the C teams have to be I think U18. No first team squad players allowed even if they fit the age group and transfers between C, B and first team are considered the same as between two different clubs.
This may be the direction. Brentford were one of the clubs who looked at EPP and decided to close their academy because it was getting harder to make it worthwhile. They chose pick up youth players released from other teams and train them in a B team. https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ditched-their-academy-premier-league-outcasts
