Away from the Neymars and Coutinhos, the continent’s top clubs are increasingly targeting players between 16 and 18, such as Jadon Sancho and Willem Geubbels

Jadon Sancho’s move last summer from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund made a clear statement: here was an elite prospect who would no longer wait patiently for an opportunity to play senior football.

Sancho exploded on to the scene at youth international level last year while also proving his quality for City’s various development squads and the reason the 17‑year‑old swapped England for Germany was clear: he felt he was ready to play first-team football. It was a statement that resonated around Europe.

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Sancho was not the first quality young player to seek pastures new for this reason. In recent years, Paris Saint-Germain have been unable to hold on to Kingsley Coman and, more recently, Dan‑Axel Zagadou, who left the club on free transfers for Juventus and Borussia Dortmund respectively. But in Sancho’s case the English winger also reportedly rejected a £30,000-a-week salary from City, despite assurances from Pep Guardiola that he would be involved in first-team training on a permanent basis.

While Sancho’s move created a wave, there had already been ripples of discontent among some of Europe’s best young players earlier in the summer transfer window. Barcelona’s 2017 Uefa Youth League star Jordi Mboula left for Monaco, while another of their academy stars, Eric García, moved to Manchester City after they activated his £1.3m release clause. Meanwhile, a number of young English players went abroad, notably the Arsenal striker Chris Willock, who joined Benfica on a free transfer.

It was the Sancho transfer, however, that seemed to empower under-contract young players to flex their muscles. In January, England’s Under-20 World Cup winner Ademola Lookman stood up to Sam Allardyce and Everton and demanded a loan move to RB Leipzig, despite the manager’s attempts to send him to Derby County for the remainder of the season.

With this increase in player mobility, Europe’s second-tier clubs see an opportunity to make inroads on the bigger outfits. After landing Sancho, Zagadou and, more recently, Barcelona’s Under-17 World Cup Silver Ball winner Sergio Gómez, Borussia Dortmund are the best example of a club willing to exploit this phenomenon. Their promises of competitive wages – combined with a stellar track record in player development and a history of giving young prospects first-team opportunities – are enticing for up-and-coming players. The fact that Ousmane Dembélé joined the club as a 19-year-old, was thrown straight into the starting XI and then signed for Barcelona a year later has helped no end.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The RB Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhüttl celebrates with Ademola Lookman after the Englishman scored on his debut. Photograph: Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters

The club’s hierarchy are straightforward about their appeal. Speaking at Sancho’s presentation to the media after he joined, the Dortmund sporting director, Michael Zorc, described the 17‑year‑old as a signing for the “medium-term”. Awarding him the prized No 7 shirt previously worn by Dembélé was another public vote of confidence.

Zorc had already said after the capture of the young Swedish forward Alexander Isak – who was wanted by Real Madrid but chose the German club – that Dortmund “cannot solely buy ready-made stars” and that they “have proven in the past that we can offer even very young players the chance to play at the highest level”.

He said that the club’s transfer policy would be based around a “two-column model”, that is to say a blend of high-potential prospects and internationals.

Clubs such as RB Leipzig and Monaco are also trying to take advantage of this phenomenon. Both teams lead the race for the Lyon striker Willem Geubbels, who has decided not to re-sign with the French club. They offer a model that promises playing time for young players, Champions League football and, in Monaco’s case, a willingness to sell the player when a satisfactory offer is forthcoming.

Geubbels’s contract expires in the summer of 2019 and in a similar vein to Sancho he will be leaving despite comments from the Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas, that he was prepared to make the 16-year-old the club’s highest paid player ever fresh out of the academy.

For those traditionally dubbed “selling clubs” such as RB Leipzig, Dortmund, and Monaco, whose most valuable assets are routinely courted by Europe’s elite, this recruitment stands to reduce the gap between them and clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, mandatory rules in Spain, which stipulate that every player must have a release clause embedded in their contract when they sign with a club, left Barcelona handcuffed in their attempts to keep Mboula and Gómez, who both had €3m release clauses.

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Barcelona’s big spending on established stars has also undermined academy players’ confidence in being given an opportunity at first-team level. There has been a similar sense of disenfranchisement among PSG youth products, with the highly rated pair Yacine Adli and Claudio Gomes also looking increasingly likely to reject new contracts from the French club.

Yet both clubs can still afford to take gambles on young talent. As one Premier League scout said: “Some of the big clubs can afford to take players they may feel won’t impact their first team. They will loan them out and allow them to develop and accrue value for resale in the future for a profit. Clubs know there is potentially huge value in buying young talent at a relative low cost.”

However, the contest to hold on to and recruit top-calibre talent is becoming more of a meritocracy. Players seem less attached to the brand and allure of teams such as Barcelona and Manchester United, and instead look to teams with established footballing identities centred around youth development they believe will be beneficial to their careers.

Quick guide Three young footballers to watch Show Hide Yacine Adli The shaggy-haired, silky-skilled France midfielder has dazzled at Under-17 level for France and in the Uefa Youth League with Paris St-Germain. His contract is set to expire in the summer. Willem Geubbels Highly rated forward but also now a thorn in Lyon’s side. He no longer trains with the senior squad after trying to force a move out of the club. Sergio Gómez The Spain winger was one of the stars of the Under-17 World Cup. Borussia Dortmund took notice, luring him away from Barcelona’s Juvenil A squad by activating his €3m release clause. Photograph: Dave Winter/Icon Sport



