If this proposal goes through we may as well abandon it completely and just pick up the Man U cast offs at 19-21 anyway as that is working well. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/19/premier-league-elite-player-performance They want to abolish the player must live within 90 minutes the club and in order to reach category one status, a club's academy must have an annual budget of more than £2.3m and at least 18 full-time employees, as well as excellent facilities â a set-up which most clubs outside the Premier League, and several within it, would be unable to support. Academies will also be judged on previous success, using criteria decided by the Premier League.
IMO, no player under 21 should be allowed to be signed up(unless released) by teams (especially PL teams) from other clubs. Unless you are say a Giggs, Rooney or Messi, you dont get considered for regular first team PL teams anyway. Conar Wickham @ Sunderland is a prime example. Then when that player hits there 21st birthday its open season and the selling club gets a proper fee for the player. The way the system works now is nothing more than child abuse in alot of cases. The kids need to learn the game, mature as players and how to conduct themselves before they hit the big time. The clubs who bring on players need to be properly rewarded for there efforts. The guardian story is just yet another one of PL club greed. imo.
