https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...-wonderkid-Watford-Arsenal-cult-hero-son.html Didn't even know we had his son at the club or that he was highly rated...but seems we are losing Emmanuel Eboue's son to Chelsea. Although in the article, it states Chelsea went to tribunal recently for two youngsters of a similar level and may end up coughing up £3m-£5m each for them. So maybe we won't get royally shafted. But we all know what's most likely.
This is the type of thing that frustrates me when people complain about us not bringing players through, we have developed several players recently and had them snatched from us. Is there really any point in having an academy.
Yes this was covered a week or so ago on the U23 thread. Nothing annoys me about the current state of fottball than this. It is daylight robbery. There really is little point for us in finding and developing talent. There is such a long list now of promising youngsters that have simply been taken away for peanuts over the last 3-4 seasons. Then those who aren't close to the detail query why we don't develop any great home grown players anymore !!! Not much really angers me, but this absolutely does. Clearly unfair. Ridiculously so.
It cannot be beyond the intellect of the powers that be to come up with a legally binding accord that sets out a compensation package for such transfers that reflects a fairness when a corporate giant takes an academy prospect from another (usually smaller) club. As the player in question will always be a minor, there can be no restrictions or limited restrictions on the player moving. Any compensation will be between the clubs. The current system gives rise to daylight robbery. The acquiring club needs to be given a number of options. 1. A once off lump sum. 2. A smaller initial payment, but additional payments based on future events (eg: professional contract executed, number of first team games played, international caps, transfers) 3. Compensation based on future performance. The rule makers are linked to the the big corporates, so getting any such arrangement that is fair is a long shot, but smaller clubs will be reluctant to waste time and energy on improving academy players, if they are not going to benefit from the effort. Jadon Sancho was with us from a very young age and we lost him to City at 14. His aggregate transfer fees are likely to have exceeded £100m, to date. Our compensation payment was pittance in comparison.
At least £3m. But it's hard to argue in his case should be more. Surely at some point the 'credit' for the club they were at junior level at ceases to be a big factor in who they are now?
I dunno how it works, but he was released so surely they can't take too much as it was their choice not to offer him a new deal?