The first ever Premier League-Indian Super League Youth Games in India saw the U-14 teams of Leicester City and Arsenal take the field on Tuesday. Compared to their Indian counterparts, comprising of Mumbai City and Reliance Young Foundation Champs’ U-15 sides, the gulf in class wasn’t very big but the English talents were technically better.
Present at the event was Les Ferdinand, a Premier League legend with 149 goals in the English top-flight, who spoke about youth development and the importance of grooming talent.
With the growing trend of young academy players from the Premier League moving abroad for more game time increasing exponentially over the past year, players are now knocking on the door of other teams rather than waiting for their chance on the bench.
Jadon Sancho led the way, securing a move to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund from Manchester City and since then, many other youngsters have followed suit. Ferdinand, the director of football at Queens Park Rangers, said it was disappointing to see talented players like Sancho move overseas.
“Individually, we don’t want to see them leave the Premier League because they are good players you’re talking about,” Ferdinand said on the sidelines of the PL-ISL Youth Games on Tuesday.
“You look at [Jadon] Sancho and other talents that are going abroad and playing regularly in the first teams who play the champions league. So if they’re not being afforded opportunities, I can understand reasons for that but we don’t want to see them leave the UK because they are talented boys and want to see it display that [talent] in the league,” he added.
Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi is another big name linked with a move to Germany and Ferdinand hoped to see more players being provided more first-team opportunities.
“We are finding more and more players doing what Sancho did. Bayern Munich are talking about Hudson-Odoi and I hope that doesn’t happen because I’d like to see him continue in the league. Those are the choices some of these players are going to have to make if they don’t find a pathway into the first team.
“It’s alright talking about development and young players coming through but if they do not get an opportunity to play then that isn’t real development. They’ve got to a certain phase and the next phase is to go to someone else’s first team,” the former Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur striker explained.
Ferdinand, a fan favourite at the White Hart Lane, also hailed Mauricio Pochettino’s development at Spurs despite the lack of resources and the Argentine’s inability to win any silverware.
“I think he [Pochettino] has done an exceptional job, not being able to bring anybody in for two windows. I’m not sure if they will be able to make more signings in the summer given the fact they have got a new stadium. And to keep the squad he’s had together - he’s lost Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son for a short period of time during the Asian Cup - he’s done a fantastic job. But now, it’s just a case of now putting something at the end of that.
“Whether it’s the FA Cup, the League. They’re still a while away from winning the League but continuously finishing in top four and looking at some sort of trophy to bring at the White Hart Lane - is the only thing that’ll keep him going,” he concluded.