They may not be the headline grabbers, but that doesn’t mean they are any less important.
That appeared to be the message that Phil Hay wanted to get across when it came to some of the less obvious signings that the club made so far in the summer window. Whilst the signings along the lines of Rodrigo and Robert Koch will get the most attention from the fans and the media, there were a whole host of other signings made as well, and that was for the academy.
A couple of new signings and contracts within the youth setup, with arguably the biggest being that of Joe Gelhardt have ensured that the cupboard is stocked for years to come. Who knows where the next Kalvin Phillips could come from, or a whole batch of them like the young players that we had in the late 1990s? Maybe from this lot.
It’s recruitment like this that has left journalist Hay incredibly impressed by what has been going on underneath the first team at Elland Road, and he took to Twitter to express his view:
agreed. The academy recruitment – while obviously done more quietly – has been very concerted. Some good players on board (and in the case of Gelhardt, for a very good price).
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) October 6, 2020
How many of the young players signed will make their first-team debut by 2022?
Less than 5
5 or more
It will be interesting to see what happens to these young players this season. With so much more at stake in terms of Premier League survival, the opportunity to play might not be there in the same way as last season when I was calling for players to be given their shot.
What about you? What have you made of the club’s academy business this summer?