Another young kid poached

[soulman101]

https://www.westbromnews.co.uk/2024/...om-midfielder/

[baggieal]

https://www.westbromnews.co.uk/2024/...om-midfielder/

Don’t know why we bother having an academy!!!! Just shows how s hit those academy managers are that left us for Villa not being able to spot their own talent!

Ban the t wats from our home academy matches and premises!

[Bombers right foot]

Grass is not always greener on the other side, how many of them have gone on to have top class careers?

[boingy]

Never heard of him. The ones we do hear about have some chance of playing for the first team but you have to be a good as fellows is. I really don’t worry about these sales. Having an academy doesn’t mean it produces Gold all the time, far from it. The players who have left have hardly become household names have they? Often they get moved on again.

[soulman101]

We will get around £120k for all the work we have put in to him and he is (was) an Albion fan .

[mickd1961]

We will get around £120k for all the work we have put in to him and he is (was) an Albion fan .

We cause our own problems with kids because historically,, we are very poor at bringing them through from youth ranks to the first team, you can count on two hands the number of youth squad players we’ve turned into successful first team players for us in the past 40 odd years.

If you’re going to fail you might as well do it at a bigger club who are paying you a bigger wage.

All I know is that if I were as a manager I would constantly be trying to give opportunities to my younger players.

[WBA123]

We cause our own problems with kids because historically,, we are very poor at bringing them through from youth ranks to the first team, you can count on two hands the number of youth squad players we’ve turned into successful first team players for us in the past 40 odd years.

If you’re going to fail you might as well do it at a bigger club who are paying you a bigger wage.

All I know is that if I were as a manager I would constantly be trying to give opportunities to my younger players.

Could not agree more with this.

And I don't blame any kid who jumps ship from us for more money / to a higher level / for a greater opportunity. Villa are paying some of their kids what our top earners are on and really investing in their youth setup.

I always feel its sour grapes from people when I hear stuff like 'they won't make it' etc. Well statistically they won't - so why not try and earn as much as you can, as young as you can. To set yourself up in life.

[SwedishBaggie]

Talking about young talent at another level, Lamine Yamal of Spain, FFS… 😮

[Albionic68]

Very decent young midfield prospect. Hopcroft and Harrison seem to be going out of their way to systematically destroy what they built when they were here.

It's a real pity the football authorities seem to have little interest in protecting or adequately recompensing club academys from blatant poaching such as this.

I had little time for Villa as it was but these tuncs are really taking the piss. I'd happily line their academy staff up and kick each and everyone of them in the bollox. For starters.