Why big clubs should leave youngsters alone

The recent debacle over Gael Kakuta’s transfer to Chelsea from Lens has raises some serious questions about how big football clubs go about signing youngsters. Some people have even taken it as far as saying that the conduct of some of the big clubs almost amount to child trafficking. Which is quite frankly taking it way too far. These youngsters who are brought over to this country are not left to starve in poverty. They are well looked after and earn good wages which stands them in good stead for their future.

However just because it isn’t child trafficking doesn’t make the conduct of those clubs right. Some of these clubs go behind the backs of the smaller clubs and sign young players without the clubs permission. Now I know that this has probably always been the case but tapping up senior players is taken much more seriously than youngsters, until now that is.

The fact is young players have their heads turned when bigger clubs show an interest in them and probably believed they have made it if a Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United sign them at a young age. Their egos grow and most of these young players don’t even make the first team at these big clubs. Its not just young foreign players that are being tapped up but also youngsters from this country.

You only have to look at Chelsea for evidence of this. Chelsea raided Leeds United for youngsters Tom Taiwo and Michael Woods in 2006. They were forced in to paying a fee believed to in the region of £3million. Yet no matter how good these two are they have struggled and will struggle to ever get in to the first team at Stamford Bridge. The pair would of been better off staying in Yorkshire and gain valuable first team experience.

My own club Everton have been criticised this week by Leeds United for signing young full back Luke Garbutt. They were forced to pay £600,000 as an initial fee which could rise to a potential £1.5million depending appearances. At 16 years old this kid is promising but that’s all these young players offer promise. A lot can happen between 16 and 18. There are so many distractions, including the dreaded distraction of money.

At Everton we have seen a steady stream of youngsters arrive at the club including goalkeepers Iain Turner and John Ruddy. Both players were highly-rated in their teens but both have failed to make any sort of impact at the club. Strikers Scott Spencer arrived from Oldham to join the academy at Everton and never made a first appearance, before being released and dropping down back in to the lower leagues.

Currently on-loan at Motherwell Polish striker Lukas Jutkiewitz arrived at Everton from Swindon rated as one of the hottest prospects in the lower divisions. Yet to this date he has never made an appearance for the Toffee’s.

The one youngster who has impressed since joining the Toffee’s from Plymouth in last January transfer window is midfielder Dan Gosling. The youngster will always be remembered by Everton fans for that 118th minute winner against Liverpool in last season FA Cup. He has also made himself a regular in David Moyes first team squad.So even such a good judge of player like David Moyes cant tell how players can develop. He is one of the few success stories.

One Premier League side who have signed young foreign players and developed them in to first team stars is Arsenal of course. Arsene Wenger has a fantastic eye for young talent. Yet he has been heavily criticised by his own fans for not signing big name players.

Undoubtedly his biggest young signing was Gunners captain and Spanish playmaker Cesc Fabregas. The Spanish international was snatched out of the Barcelona academy and put in to the Gunners first team at just 16. Sadly though Fabregas is the exception rather than the rule with young players arriving from abroad. You have to be pretty special to play for Arsenal at 16, but most young foreign players just fade because of homesick and other factors.

The message to big Premier League clubs is you might have the biggest and best academies in the world but that doesn’t guarantee that potential is always fulfilled. Some times being at a United, Chelsea or Arsenal has a negative rather than a positive effect on the youngsters. At big clubs the outside influences often prove too much for the young mind to contemplate and the players careers suddenly go up in smoke.

Premier League clubs also need to stop thinking they can sign whoever they want when they want. I am in favour of the new law which has been proposed were players wouldn’t be able to move till they are at least 18 years old. However I do feel the punishment against Chelsea is harsh and its part of Michel Platini’s vendetta against English football. But that’s another story for another time.