What's the err about?? Assou Ekotto was described as one of the brightest prospects in French football by Jol and Comolli when we signed him so Kaboul was only 21 when we signed him so again to me he would count as a prospect as well.
Ah come on now, three professional seasons is more than a prospect, and they were almost immediately into the first team, i'm talking about the ones that we buy in to develop into first teamers like the two I mentioned, and furthermore like Blondel, Rodrigo, Halfreddson, El Hamdoui, and even, to a certain and more minor extent Dos Santos & Taarabt. We buy these players in for their sell on value, it appears, either that or we are truly atrocious at developing young talent at the Lane, whether its nurturing our own or grabbing youngster from other clubs and stepping them up a gear. And its not only from the continent, Bostock seems to have gone backwards and anyone remember Leigh Mills????
Maybe thats true Schteff, but we haven't got a DoF anymore, and yet we're still signing these young lads (and paying for them, considering we can't afford to buy anyone until we sell, I'm guessing these are who the O'Hara monies have gone on!) when its the first team that needs attention. So are we really doing anything different than before?
It's definitely been scaled down. It's an interesting point that you raised though, our only successes of late seem to have been English. Our squad definitely needs investment in the first team but I'm glad we're still planning for the future.
I take it by 'our successes' you mean Danny Rose & Kyle Walker... both of whom we bought in? High hopes for Stephen Caulker though. And whilst I agree with you in that we should be planning for the future, i'd be happier if we were planning for the immediate future i.e. August 2011 not August 2015.
He has the ability to play on the wing also so in fact we've just got the African Christiano Ronaldo. Harry would be a fool not to play him & by Christmas we'll be asking Modric who? Yes I don't think, I know he's that good! He also has the grit and determination to do well with us, but the question I wanna ask is he Harry's choice? If not Gio mark 2!
I think its safe to assume youngsters are being signed for the future as well as players being signed for next season. I don't think because we have signed Christian Ceballos and Souleymane Coulibaly it means we have given up trying to sign a new striker.
Excepting a spiralling ever downward in ability keeper, who are these players being signed for next season? There's not a single one we've been linked with we stand a chance of getting (except JOE BLEEDING COLE) and whilst I know its not Spurs policy to show our hand in the transfer market, there's 26 days left and our roster looks as feeble as ever with the same not-good enough faces still on show and no sign of anyone else.
short answer they don't Luke, but then again, they didn't make the grade even when we had a reserve team! The answer to why that is is the serious question...
Puts me in mind of this young kid who used to play for Barca. Brilliant for Mexico. Whats his name again.....?
Have we targeted players like him, Ceballos and Shaqiri because of this U19s Champions League thingy or is it a slight change in policy, generally?
Yes, Arsenil, Chelski, the Red Mancs all do this BUT... significantly, they already have first teams more than capable of challenging for honours (yes even L'Arse) We, on the other hand, DON'T!
Off the top of my head... Jamie O'Hara Danny Rose ...graduated from the youth team to the first team. The likes of Bale, Kaboul, BAE, Dawson and (briefly) Ziegler went straight into the first team.
Jimmy Greaves was seventeen when knocking in goals for a very poor Chelsea Pele was seventeen when picking up his first world cup winners medal and many others have made their mark before being eighteen years of age We can hope which is an eternal Spurs fan condition
