[BaggieSteve]

I just wondered views were on the news that he’s not signing a contract with the club and so will be a free agent.

I’ve never seen him play but the amount of goals he scored, the rave reviews and the previously cited queue of prominent clubs wanting to sign him would indicate we have, once again, failed to keep hold a young talented player.

Who knows how his career will turn out but this example, along with many other, well documented ones, seems to indicate a malaise in the club when it comes to developing, blooding and retaining our academy players.

At least it seems he probably won’t go to the Villa, unlike most of the others

[Slick_Footwork]

I'll reserve judgement on him for a few years and see how his career develops...

It's very disappointing on the surface. A young local talent who has scored a lot of goals.

But there's another side of me that thinks you can't bow to extortionate demands from someone who has yet kicked a ball at professional level. The fact he's already out for as much cash as he can get at his age might say a lot about his personality. Given our downfall, West Brom would be a good place to break through next season if he believed in his ability.

I've not seen any of his full games to forge any opinion on how much potential he has. I've seen highlights on Facebook and he's scored some very good goals but also missed his share of sitters too. I often take u23 stats with a pinch of salt as the standard is miles off the professional game. However, 7 goals at that level for someone just turned 18 is impressive.

But ultimately, our academy has yet to produce anyone who is Premier League class bar Saido Berahino who quickly fizzed out. Unless Cleary ends up being the exception to the rule, maybe we've offered him a fair deal and he'll just go on to be a drain on some Premier League club's wage bill like his greedy predecessors Izzy Brown and Jerome Sinclair.

Brown and Sinclair are both 25 now and will never make it as Premier League players (possibly not even Championship).

I almost forgot Nathan Ferguson. He's on Crystal Palace's wage bill but in 2 years he's made 1 sub appearance. I have a suspicion he might never make the grade and quite possibly could be an injury crock.

Of course Ferguson could still make it at the top level.. Likewise Cleary, Tim Iroegbunam and Louie Barry.. Or they might not...

(If they do, Cleary especially, I'll be gutted we didn't offer him more cash).

Whatever outcome, it does make you wonder if it's even worth having an academy. It must cost millions to run and it seems players either don't make the grade of where we aspire to be (Premier League) or leave for nothing. While we have received fees for a few of our academy players (Saido, Tyler Roberts, Sam Field, Leko) I very much doubt it has covered our costs. You do wonder if it would be more cost effective to buy young senior players and make money through increasing their value. It's almost like clubs just follow this cookie cutter approach of having an academy even if it doesn't work for them.

[drewks]

I agree Slick; surely the whole point of an academy is to bring young players through from youth levels to the first team. If the ultimate aim is almost never happening for whatever reason, it HAS to be classed as a failure for the club and therefore a waste of money.

[talkSAFT]

I don't know anything about Cleary. But - from his angle - you can't actually blame him for taking the £m offer (as his Dad's probably advised him):-
whatif he got a career-ending injury in his next game? .....he's made for life (almost).

Absolutely ridiculous how Sky has ruined this game.
Personally I'd applaud any Chancellor who taxed Entertainers upto the hilt, and if they don't like it they can sod off to Europe/America. I like watching Sunday League football - it doesn't have to be Top Level. I also don't get why TV Presenters get £ms. World's gone mad.

[BaggieSteve]

I'll reserve judgement on him for a few years and see how his career develops...

It's very disappointing on the surface. A young local talent who has scored a lot of goals.

But there's another side of me that thinks you can't bow to extortionate demands from someone who has yet kicked a ball at professional level. The fact he's already out for as much cash as he can get at his age might say a lot about his personality. Given our downfall, West Brom would be a good place to break through next season if he believed in his ability.

I've not seen any of his full games to forge any opinion on how much potential he has. I've seen highlights on Facebook and he's scored some very good goals but also missed his share of sitters too. I often take u23 stats with a pinch of salt as the standard is miles off the professional game. However, 7 goals at that level for someone just turned 18 is impressive.

But ultimately, our academy has yet to produce anyone who is Premier League class bar Saido Berahino who quickly fizzed out. Unless Cleary ends up being the exception to the rule, maybe we've offered him a fair deal and he'll just go on to be a drain on some Premier League club's wage bill like his greedy predecessors Izzy Brown and Jerome Sinclair.

Brown and Sinclair are both 25 now and will never make it as Premier League players (possibly not even Championship).

I almost forgot Nathan Ferguson. He's on Crystal Palace's wage bill but in 2 years he's made 1 sub appearance. I have a suspicion he might never make the grade and quite possibly could be an injury crock.

Of course Ferguson could still make it at the top level.. Likewise Cleary, Tim Iroegbunam and Louie Barry.. Or they might not...

(If they do, Cleary especially, I'll be gutted we didn't offer him more cash).

Whatever outcome, it does make you wonder if it's even worth having an academy. It must cost millions to run and it seems players either don't make the grade of where we aspire to be (Premier League) or leave for nothing. While we have received fees for a few of our academy players (Saido, Tyler Roberts, Sam Field, Leko) I very much doubt it has covered our costs. You do wonder if it would be more cost effective to buy young senior players and make money through increasing their value. It's almost like clubs just follow this cookie cutter approach of having an academy even if it doesn't work for them.

I agree, Slick, that there is absolutely no guarantee of any academy players making it at the highest level and the examples you cite are very relevant. I think my biggest beef - apart from the ludicrous situation of 18/19 years old players with no senior track record making exorbitant demands - is our inability to make us an attractive club in which to develop your young career. I appreciate this is the result of the growing pressure of elite clubs with massive reserves who are prepared to offer eye-watering deals to players with 'potential' and whose advisers only have an interest in the short term money benefits. But I'm coming round to your last point of the value of an Academy, although my understanding is that this is a requirement for the club, certainly if it wishes to be in the Premier League.

[Blue Baggie]

It's a dog eat dog world, we simply have an atrocious scouting dept and hardly ever steal a star from elsewhere. Let's be honest about it even our top players have always been snatched away.from us for the last 50 years.
For the need of a real owner who wants to back the club. Begs the reason as to why Lai even bothered buying us in the first place.

[drewks]

It's a dog eat dog world, we simply have an atrocious scouting dept and hardly ever steal a star from elsewhere. Let's be honest about it even our top players have always been snatched away.from us for the last 50 years.
For the need of a real owner who wants to back the club. Begs the reason as to why Lai even bothered buying us in the first place.

Wouldn't completely agree there, BB - we DID have a spell where we had an enviable reputation as being almost a 'model club' as far as scouting and behind-the-scenes set up were concerned,. May seem light years away from where we are now, but with Dan Ashworth and Co. at the helm we found a good few gems for next to nothing - Dorrans and Molumbu spring immediately to mind and I'm sure there are many others from that era. Would that have been 2008 or so? Not THAT long ago in years but.....!!

[Slick_Footwork]

I agree, Slick, that there is absolutely no guarantee of any academy players making it at the highest level and the examples you cite are very relevant. I think my biggest beef - apart from the ludicrous situation of 18/19 years old players with no senior track record making exorbitant demands - is our inability to make us an attractive club in which to develop your young career. I appreciate this is the result of the growing pressure of elite clubs with massive reserves who are prepared to offer eye-watering deals to players with 'potential' and whose advisers only have an interest in the short term money benefits. But I'm coming round to your last point of the value of an Academy, although my understanding is that this is a requirement for the club, certainly if it wishes to be in the Premier League.

The question is, is there anything we can do as a club to make us attractive or are these players simply attracted by the dollar signs?

I'm starting to think the only thing that makes a side attractive to the modern day player is their pay cheque...

With Cleary for example, I do think we'd be a decent option if he genuinely cared about career development.

As a Championship side, it would be easier for him to make the step up into our first team than if he goes to Premier League or European equivalent. Especially as we're short up top and aren't likely to splash the cash. It might be the case that he thinks he'll be farmed out on loan to League One or Two either way, but even then, he'd be more likely to step up through the leagues if he stayed here.

And while I've got no idea what we offered him financially, I'm sure he'd be pretty wealthy as a Championship squaddie. But of course, not so much as a Premier League one.

I'd suspect that's all he cares about to be honest. Probably the same for all of them except the few who are West Brom fans.

I'm not sure about Academies being a requirement. I seem to remember reading something about Brentford ditching their academy for this very reason and focusing on scouting talent instead. That was some years ago though, so it might've changed since. Personally, if it's not required, I don't really see the point in having one until laws are changed to better protect sides in the lower half of the Premier League and below.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Brown and Sinclair are both 25 now and will never make it as Premier League players (possibly not even Championship).

I hadn't realised Izzy Brown's 25 already. Took a look at his career stats, and it seems like a shocking waste. Less than 120 career apps in nine years as a pro, a lot as a substitute, most on loan to Championship clubs. A grand total of eleven minutes playing for the Chelsea first team, and that (ironically) was in the match when we smashed them 3-0. And he still got a Premier League winner's medal out of it.

Then again, you look at our Academy products who *have* had decent careers, and it's pretty much always because we farmed them off to some lower-level club as they weren't good enough for us at 21. Chris Wood's the pick of the bunch (and before anyone moans, I'll point out for the millionth time that we weren't the only ones who thought he couldn't hack the Premier League; Leicester also sold him back down to the Champ in 2015 after he got them promoted). Romaine Sawyers spent six seasons learning his trade before we re-signed him; Liam O'Neil's now put in five years of hard graft at Cambridge. They've done things the right way, and I hope they find their careers more satisfying than Brown or Sinclair, but we can't pretend that Albion showed them any more loyalty in the long run than Cleary and his ilk have given us.

It's a mercenary sport all round.

[Blue Baggie]

It's a dog eat dog world, we simply have an atrocious scouting dept and hardly ever steal a star from elsewhere. Let's be honest about it even our top players have always been snatched away.from us for the last 50 years.
For the need of a real owner who wants to back the club. Begs the reason as to why Lai even bothered buying us in the first place.

Wouldn't completely agree there, BB - we DID have a spell where we had an enviable reputation as being almost a 'model club' as far as scouting and behind-the-scenes set up were concerned,. May seem light years away from where we are now, but with Dan Ashworth and Co. at the helm we found a good few gems for next to nothing - Dorrans and Molumbu spring immediately to mind and I'm sure there are many others from that era. Would that have been 2008 or so? Not THAT long ago in years but.....!!

The Ashworth times were great for the club, but eventually he also jumped ship and now he appears to be headhunted by wealthy owners who understand what he brings to the table.
With a wealthy owner just naming the players who we have sold, left, failed to sign or loan players. With investment we could be too 5 in the PL now if we had managed to sign them.

Lukaku - Gayle 
Barnes - Pereira - Gallagher -:NSK 
Holgate - Dawson - Okay - Ferguson
Foster