Buying the next big thing

We've long had a history of generating brilliant players from the Academy like Gerrard, Carragher, Fowler and Owen.
 
We've also done our fair share of plundering the best young-ish talent from smaller clubs that go on to be brilliant for us: Rush, Hansen, Nicol, Hyypia, Riise, Agger, Reina, Whelan, Alonso (that's a bit tenuous that one...)
 
And a number of dismal failures. I still remember Mark Kennedy.
 
So, the likes of Coutinho and Sturridge look like they might fall into that category too. And we're linked with that lad from Derby County. So, who would be your tip for us to take a punt on? Who's the next big thing that isn't so big he'd cost us £50m?
 
Please be a central midfielder.

We've long had a history of generating brilliant players from the Academy like Gerrard, Carragher, Fowler and Owen.
 
We've also done our fair share of plundering the best young-ish talent from smaller clubs that go on to be brilliant for us: Rush, Hansen, Nicol, Hyypia, Riise, Agger, Reina, Whelan, Alonso (that's a bit tenuous that one...)
 
And a number of dismal failures. I still remember Mark Kennedy.
 
So, the likes of Coutinho and Sturridge look like they might fall into that category too. And we're linked with that lad from Derby County. So, who would be your tip for us to take a punt on? Who's the next big thing that isn't so big he'd cost us £50m?
 
Please be a central midfielder.

I think the next big thing was always someone who cost a big fee.
Lawrenson, Souness, Dalglish, the Rush re-signing, Torres, Masch etc


Signing potential is great. But you have to remember he could be a Hyypia (1 in 40 or 50) but the 2.7m is most likely gonna get you a Josemi.


Just as club incomes keep rising, so will the costs of players, teenage or older.
I think Britain produces physical, athletic players. Sometimes finishers.


But if you want flair and super skills, its generally better to go abroad.
Infact, you look at the top defensive midfielders in the PL. Its amazing, a number of them arent British, they're actually Brazillian or S American etc.

It costs money to develop an array of kids.  Once u look at all the duds, its not guaranteed that the winner will compensate for the duds.
Infact, academies are actually a dodge around the Financial Fair Play nonsense (that big clubs will ignore anyway)[size=78%].[/size]

I'll have a go and risk the derision, why not.

Fabian Delph at Villa is developing fast at the moment and he might make a player. Luke Shaw fairly obviously is going to be a player, and I think we already have one in Andre Wisdom. The dogs are barking down at Chelsea about Bertrande Traore who they rate very highly, and as there's a problem with his work permit qualification he may become steal able further down the line.

I'll stick my neck out and say it'll be Will Hughes. 

He'll cost upwards of £10m but wouldn't feature much in the 1st team for a couple of seasons and therein lies the problem.  We have several players the same age at our Academy who may well turn out to be better than Will but if they aren't playing at a higher level every week we'll never know. 

Zakaria Bakkali from PSV (17 y.o) is certainly one to watch, got a hattrick in his second ever appearance.

Will Hughes does look one of the most promising in the Championship.

Probably far too many to list, and many none of us have heard of, but these are two that I've watched myself and rate pretty highly. By no means are they going to be cheap.

Although I'll go ahead and be biased and say Harry Wilson is going to be fantastic if he keeps working hard and develops well. And he won't cost a penny!

I think the next big thing was always someone who cost a big fee.
Lawrenson, Souness, Dalglish, the Rush re-signing, Torres, Masch etc

Hmmm. You're probably right. Even the players that are no more than "a chance" quite often cost millions. But I suppose Xabi is a good recent example. £10m was a calculated risk.
 
Where's the next Xabi?!

My shout was Remy Cabella this summer and he's in fine form and will be bought by a big club soon.

I will say Alvaro Vadillo. Although he is a bit better known already than Cabella was last summer.

I'll have a go and risk the derision, why not.

Fabian Delph at Villa is developing fast at the moment and he might make a player. Luke Shaw fairly obviously is going to be a player, and I think we already have one in Andre Wisdom. The dogs are barking down at Chelsea about Bertrande Traore who they rate very highly, and as there's a problem with his work permit qualification he may become steal able further down the line.

Yes, I have liked Delph since I saw him play once for the team he was at before Villa. Leeds, I think. Anyway, he is promising.
 
They're all a risk, though. Damn it.

I'm not sure about next big thing,
but there are a couple of players in the Premier League that I think we could get
for reasonable money and improve our squad.

Gary Medel at Cardiff would give us badly needed competition with Lucas.
Robbie Brady at Hull has been very good for them, but I quite like Lallana
for Southampton and he also plays on the left.

Sadly, I think I think the next big thing for England is Ross Barkley.... 

Sadly, I think I think the next big thing for England is Ross Barkley.... 

Yes, he looks very good indeed.
 
Still, we can always hope he joins the seemingly endless conveyor belt of Bitter rejects who were once lauded as the next Owen, the next Fowler, the next whoever, and ended up playing for Doncaster after two years.

We've already got the Next Big Thing and he's a Midfielder, Jesús Joaquín Fernández Sáez de la Torre, he's going to be the fulcrum of the Spanish national team for many years to come and hopefully ours too, he'll be our Xabi.

 

We've already got the Next Big Thing and he's a Midfielder, Jesús Joaquín Fernández Sáez de la Torre, he's going to be the fulcrum of the Spanish national team for many years to come and hopefully ours too, he'll be our Xabi.

I can just see people now, scratching their heads saying " who the hell is that"? :-) Suso is going to be awesome for us when he returns.
After watching Teixeira playing for the the reserves, it looks like he is on the verge of fulfilling his potential also.

I can just see people now, scratching their heads saying " who the hell is that"? :-) Suso is going to be awesome for us when he returns.
After watching Teixeira playing for the the reserves, it looks like he is on the verge of fulfilling his potential also.

I've hardly seen anything of the reserves, but I keep reading we have some cracking young players.

If that's the case, hopefully we won't need to buy "the next big thing".

Must admit I think this could be the way for us to go. Arsenal and Spurs were bold in the way they moved for young British players like Bale, Walcott and Chamberlain. Also given that we seem to struggling to compete with our rivals now in terms of having the funds and be able to offer guaranteed Champions League football spending over the odds in order to steal a march on our rivals in terms of buying undoubted talent that has yet to peak makes some sense.


Take young Will Hughes for example, if we're really serious about this kid then get the deal done this January, let him stay at Derby for the rest of the season and bring him in during the summer. I suspect that a host of other clubs will be in for him in the summer so if the club believe he will be a player then do it now.


When I heard Wisdom had just gone on loan to Derby I did actually wonder if that might open some doors for a potential bid?

I've hardly seen anything of the reserves, but I keep reading we have some cracking young players.

If that's the case, hopefully we won't need to buy "the next big thing".

We have a glut of cracking midfielders mate. 

Not all will make it obviously but from age 16 to 20 we've got Suso, Texeira, Adorjan, Lussey, DTS, Dunn, Branagan, Rossiter, Wilson, Pelosi, Kent who all spring to mind as having enough about them to be successful. 

Add to them Coutinho and Alberto I'm sure we won't need to spend hugely to find the next big thing.

We have a glut of cracking midfielders mate. 

Not all will make it obviously but from age 16 to 20 we've got Suso, Texeira, Adorjan, Lussey, DTS, Dunn, Branagan, Rossiter, Wilson, Pelosi, Kent who all spring to mind as having enough about them to be successful. 

Add to them Coutinho and Alberto I'm sure we won't need to spend hugely to find the next big thing.

Thanks for the info reddebs

I really must try and watch more reserve and youth football.

We have a glut of cracking midfielders mate. 

Not all will make it obviously but from age 16 to 20 we've got Suso, Texeira, Adorjan, Lussey, DTS, Dunn, Branagan, Rossiter, Wilson, Pelosi, Kent who all spring to mind as having enough about them to be successful. 

Add to them Coutinho and Alberto I'm sure we won't need to spend hugely to find the next big thing.

To be honest Debs I think that as fans we tend to view every batch of youngsters in a very positive way, usually because they re doing well within their own level but ultimately, for almost all of them (and us) it ends in disappointment. I would argue that young Will Hughes who has been a full time starter at Derby this past 12 months is probably a much better bet to make it in the epl than any of the lads you have mentioned from our own program. I know we have got some good lads in there and reports suggest that young Rossiter is very much the one to watch, I think Ibe has a real shot and fingers crossed Suso is still in the managers plans.

Thanks for the info reddebs

I really must try and watch more reserve and youth football.

You should mate, they're all live on lfctv which is on freeview if in the uk.  Get them on record and spend some time watching the Reds of the future 

I can just see people now, scratching their heads saying " who the hell is that"? :-) Suso is going to be awesome for us when he returns.
After watching Teixeira playing for the the reserves, it looks like he is on the verge of fulfilling his potential also.

I think Suso has everything in his locker to be atop top player, I'd have no qualms with throwing him into our central midfield now if he was here, his natural talent never really shone playing for us wide left in the front 3 as he's not that type of player, he's a play maker and he needs to be pulling the strings from the middle of the pitch to utilise his best abilities.

To be honest Debs I think that as fans we tend to view every batch of youngsters in a very positive way, usually because they re doing well within their own level but ultimately, for almost all of them (and us) it ends in disappointment. I would argue that young Will Hughes who has been a full time starter at Derby this past 12 months is probably a much better bet to make it in the epl than any of the lads you have mentioned from our own program. I know we have got some good lads in there and reports suggest that young Rossiter is very much the one to watch, I think Ibe has a real shot and fingers crossed Suso is still in the managers plans.

They all need to be playing mate, simple as.  Playing only 20 odd games a season against lads of a similar age once your 19/20 is doing nothing to develop them.  We also have too many who won't make it at all and need moving on asap.  Hopefully now we have the new management in place at the Academy it'll be a priority so we can really offer a clear route into the 1st team, not just to Melwood.

I think Suso has everything in his locker to be atop top player, I'd have no qualms with throwing him into our central midfield now if he was here, his natural talent never really shone playing for us wide left in the front 3 as he's not that type of player, he's a play maker and he needs to be pulling the strings from the middle of the pitch to utilise his best abilities.

I agree mate, didn't like how near the end of last season though he seemed to be shooting on sight as if it had been drummed into him to do so.

That wasn't his natural game and seemed completely unnatural for him to do it so much. I questioned whether Brendan had specifically told him to add goals, or simply shoot more. Obviously no proof, just a suspicion because of the dramatic change in his play style. Would be like Coutinho shooting at every given opportunity, you'd know something had been said.

Like you say, if he was brought in and given license just to play his game and not worry about statistics he would be ideal back-up for Coutinho and we've certainly missed that.

They all need to be playing mate, simple as.  Playing only 20 odd games a season against lads of a similar age once your 19/20 is doing nothing to develop them.  We also have too many who won't make it at all and need moving on asap.  Hopefully now we have the new management in place at the Academy it'll be a priority so we can really offer a clear route into the 1st team, not just to Melwood.

Problem is there is no clear route into the first team, you've got to kick the door down to get there, particularly without the Europa League opportunities. I was gutted we didn't qualify for this very reason because last year it was a decent competition for blooding players like Suso, Robinson, Sterling etc

With the under 21s league up and running it does mean that you can be more patient with these kids, keep them for longer and get them out on loan once they hit 18 so perhaps that is the way forward. Certainly with someone like Tom Ince we might have been able to keep him but with a view to him going on a long term loan.