Ross Barclay - Everton

[PaulSmith]

Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are preparing for a £30m transfer battle for Everton's 17-year-old midfielder Ross Barkley. The fee would shatter the world record paid for a teenager, which stands at the £26.5m United gave Everton for Wayne Rooney.


Is this everything that is wrong with English football, £30m for someone who must impress against teams of his own age but Everton would be crazy to turn this down.

[easty]

The boy has played in the Everton first team and not looked at all out of place, in fact he's looked pretty damn good.

Rooney was a young lad when Man Utd signed him, and at £26.5m he's been a great signing, at double that they would have got thier money worth with Rooney! Whos to say Barkley won't go the same way?

[MWHIBBIES]

no chance that will be happening already.

[R'Albin]

That's ridiculous, he's looked very good but he's only made 3 appearances for the first team

[CallumLaidlaw]

You have to remember the kind of money that has recently been spent on Jordan Henderson, Chris smalling (had hardly played any games for fulham when utd agreed to sign him), phil jones, Andy Carroll. Young and English talent demands big fees in the EPL at present. Barkley is hugely talented but Everton will be rubbing their hands. The loss of Barkley at that price would mean the ability to bring in 3 or 4 decent players, and give Royston drenthe a permanent contract at the end of the season.

[frazeHFC]

What!!! £30m!!! He has taltent but nobody knows how much he will improve.

[Broken Gnome]

Football really is depressingly lazy. Clubs can bring through a young player (Barclay, Scott Allan at Dundee United) and the team barely benefits at all these days before they have their head turned by bigger clubs.

[NOLA]

speculate to accumulate, the lad has loads of talent and needs to be in an environment where that talent isnt wasted, man u anyone

[Future17]

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Football really is depressingly lazy. Clubs can bring through a young player (Barclay, Scott Allan at Dundee United) and the team barely benefits at all these days before they have their head turned by bigger clubs.

I know what you mean but £30m doesn't really equate to barely benefitting does it?

This is the way football is going and the way bigger clubs are run. Scouting has been refined to an almost exact science at the top clubs and they are very rarely wrong when they decide to pay big money for young players.

It is also important to remember that the English youth system is very different to the Scottish system and the quality of their youth competitions is probably the best in Europe. To use the specific example of Barclay, he will have been outshining players in his age group for years, hence why he has been given first team opportunities at the age of 17. He made only have made 3 senior appearances, but a club like United has been watching him for at least 3 years.

[TheDude]

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I know what you mean but £30m doesn't really equate to barely benefitting does it?

This is the way football is going and the way bigger clubs are run. Scouting has been refined to an almost exact science at the top clubs and they are very rarely wrong when they decide to pay big money for young players.

It is also important to remember that the English youth system is very different to the Scottish system and the quality of their youth competitions is probably the best in Europe. To use the specific example of Barclay, he will have been outshining players in his age group for years, hence why he has been given first team opportunities at the age of 17. He made only have made 3 senior appearances, but a club like United has been watching him for at least 3 years.

Exactly. The days of a youth prospect coming through and the top teams not being aware of him are long gone. They will have known about this young boy for years now. Man Utd and the like will be aware of 100% of the talent pool in youth set up's around the UK.

You could even apply most of Europe to that as well.

[Broken Gnome]

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I know what you mean but £30m doesn't really equate to barely benefitting does it?

This is the way football is going and the way bigger clubs are run. Scouting has been refined to an almost exact science at the top clubs and they are very rarely wrong when they decide to pay big money for young players.

It is also important to remember that the English youth system is very different to the Scottish system and the quality of their youth competitions is probably the best in Europe. To use the specific example of Barclay, he will have been outshining players in his age group for years, hence why he has been given first team opportunities at the age of 17. He made only have made 3 senior appearances, but a club like United has been watching him for at least 3 years.

Yeah I know what you mean as well, just think it's generally a bit sad. Would be better for the sport and supporters I'd guess if you were actually seeing these guys for a consistent period of time before they were whisked off to league titles and Champions Leagues and what not. I know the financial benefits are huge, though that will merely keep Everton on an even keel rather be spent on players. I'd far prefer to watch MOTD and think that I have seen Steven Fletcher progress for a good 4/5 years which has helped to become a guy that can score at Anfield.

This is more Celtic and Scott Allan I'm p!ssed off about, rather than Man Utd supplying Everton with umpteen millions again.

[ScottB]

This is all because of the squad and young player rules that are coming in, the big clubs want players in as young as possible so they count under these rules, it's why big money has been spent on relatively untested, young English players recently.

[Green and white]

The Pro youth system we use in Scotland is pants. It's all about who's the biggest. In England academy football is a non contact sport to a certain extent.

[PaulSmith]

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The Pro youth system we use in Scotland is pants. It's all about who's the biggest. In England academy football is a non contact sport to a certain extent.

What, the referee's use a different rule book?

[BS44]

Are Everton known for having a good scouting network? They are doing something right if they can spot two kids and then sell them on
as teenagers for possibly 56 million pound.

[CallumLaidlaw]

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Are Everton known for having a good scouting network? They are doing something right if they can spot two kids and then sell them on
as teenagers for possibly 56 million pound.

They seem to. Also have rodwell who is valued highly, and have players like Coleman & vellios who they have plucked from obscurity.
They've also done well with lower league players - Jagielka, Cahill, Lescott and even Beckford to an extent (free transfer. Scores 10 goals in a season then sell him for £4m!)

[Jones28]

Proof, if any more were needed, that football is becoming obscene

[nortonhibby]

Any good Hibbys keeep an eye on our youth team under 19s who is oor next Brown Thomson Fletcher Whittaker Occonor Derek ?

[The_Exile]

Can someone explain to me why Everton are in the **** financially? They sold Rooney for 27 million, they sold Arteta for over 10 million, they consistently bring through good young players and sell them on for a massive profit, they get major TV money, what the hell is going on down Goodison Park?

[c31]

Because each player earns loads, wage bill of £40m+ a year

[Future17]

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Because each player earns loads, wage bill of £40m+ a year

Top international players like Cahill, Jagielka and Arteta (when he was there) on big bucks and the likes of Howard, Distin, Baines, Neville, Osman and Yakubu (when he was there) not far behind. I also heard that Fellaini and Bilyaletdinov are their top earners having each been signed for £10m+.

There's an article on the BBC Sport website in which Everton's former Chief Executive claims that the size of Goodison restricts them to earning £30-40m in gate receipts each season. To put that in perspective, Man United earn £100m+.

[Loopz]

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The Pro youth system we use in Scotland is pants. It's all about who's the biggest. In England academy football is a non contact sport to a certain extent.

This is just not true in my experience. I witnessed 5 players leaving my 10 year old sons team this season for Hibs and Hearts and this was not one of the deciding factors. P.S Hearts got the better deal.

[CallumLaidlaw]

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Top international players like Cahill, Jagielka and Arteta (when he was there) on big bucks and the likes of Howard, Distin, Baines, Neville, Osman and Yakubu (when he was there) not far behind. I also heard that Fellaini and Bilyaletdinov are their top earners having each been signed for £10m+.

There's an article on the BBC Sport website in which Everton's former Chief Executive claims that the size of Goodison restricts them to earning £30-40m in gate receipts each season. To put that in perspective, Man United earn £100m+.

Yip. Arteta WAS the top earner on £75k a week. Fellaini will be off the wage bill by the end of the season I'd imagine as his contract runs out and arsenal are sniffing around again. They seriously need a big investor.

[Geo_1875]

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Proof, if any more were needed, that football is becoming obscene

So true. Man Utd are hoping to raise £1 billion pounds on the Asian stock markets which they will use to clear SOME of their debt. That makes the yams look solvent.

[ScottB]

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So true. Man Utd are hoping to raise £1 billion pounds on the Asian stock markets which they will use to clear SOME of their debt. That makes the yams look solvent.

Well size of debt goes with size of income, Man Utd rake in more money a year that the entire SPL would in decade, they may have a lot of debt, but there's no question that they could be unable to pay it off, Hearts on the other hand...