http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/premier-league/manchester-city-sign-finley-burns-amid-competition-from-chelsea-arsenal-and-liverpool/ar-AAm2LsI?li=AA572I&ocid=spartanntpI thought there were football rules about this, let alone laws? Obviously not. And the kid knocked back Liverpool because they wanted him to come on a trial, what a liberty wanting to see what you were buying...
Another nail in the coffin of football.
Comments
Surely "building a good youth setup" goes far beyond snapping up the youth players of other academies? I genuinely feel for Southend United over this, it's difficult to see how this is good for anyone involved - other than Man City who have taken a punt with an amount of money that is negligible for them.
It's also very suspect that the lad refused to go on trial at Liverpool, I suspect Liverpool may well have had a lucky escape. Even if the boy has talent and skill, if he (or his parents?) has that attitude at 13 then I dread to think what he's going to be like in a couple of years.
Suddenly the lad is going to find himself a small cog in a big machine, with heavy expectations on his shoulder. If the expectations don't ruin him then it will be interesting to see how his development works out. I can't see moves like this being good for the English game at all.
Surely "building a good youth setup" goes far beyond snapping up the youth players of other academies? I genuinely feel for Southend United over this, it's difficult to see how this is good for anyone involved - other than Man City who have taken a punt with an amount of money that is negligible for them.
It's also very suspect that the lad refused to go on trial at Liverpool, I suspect Liverpool may well have had a lucky escape. Even if the boy has talent and skill, if he (or his parents?) has that attitude at 13 then I dread to think what he's going to be like in a couple of years.
Suddenly the lad is going to find himself a small cog in a big machine, with heavy expectations on his shoulder. If the expectations don't ruin him then it will be interesting to see how his development works out. I can't see moves like this being good for the English game at all.
Southend might do pretty well out of it, could be £175,000 for a kid who's talented at 13 but never kicks on.
Think they're now trying to loan him out somewhere.
Yes there will be the odd amazing kid who gets poached/bought, but that's top level football these days, but a lot of their players are local kids.
The report isn't accurate. He went to Liverpool before Man City interest and didn't like it.
The resources that Man City are prepared to allocate to a 13 year old are absolutely staggering.
The parents will have lost many hours sleep trying to think through all the options and what is right for themselves, their son and any other siblings. There will have been a lot of pressure on them with the club's involved offering all sorts of incentives to gain Finley's signature.
On this forum we are all football people. Thirteen is very young, but which one of you would not like to have your son pursued by four or five of the biggest clubs in the Country?
The financial benefits offered to Finley could set him and the rest of the family up for life.
Unfortunately it is all part of the lunacy of top level football at the moment.
I remember a Charlton scout saying to me a few years ago that things were getting so stupid that he would be hanging around maternity wards before too long!!
I have to say, I find it hard to see how this is good news for the 13 year old.
Yes, the City deal is miles better but he went to Liverpool first and didn't know the potential City deal.
Everyone at the age of 13 would love to be a pro. He has got a chance to develop with good coaches and amazing facilities. I don't understand the criticism on here. Man City made the offer, they accepted. Good luck Finley, even if you don't make it, what a wonderful experience you will have and good luck living out every school boys dream.
An incredibly difficult decision for the parents who will have had to have taken everything into consideration. They would have been under immense pressure from all the club's, including Southend who will no doubt have wanted to keep him.
Southend struggle against the bigger clubs, so Finley must have really stood out to be selected. There are scouts watching pretty much every Academy game these days and Finely's parents will no doubt have been approached on a number of occasions by representatives from different clubs. There is nothing you can do about that if you have a talented son who is at an Academy. It isn't right, but that's what happens.
I went through something very similar last year and have every sympathy and respect for the parents. In my instance it was less pressured with two big clubs chasing my son's signature.
To criticise the parents without knowing the full circumstances is a disgrace.....
It is not supposed to be a purchase, but a compensation fee. Splitting hairs I know.
My son was scouted by Charlton when he was six and is now 14. In that eight years the finances in football have changed immeasurably.
In England boys are first signed by clubs at the age of eight. You are not told at the time, but that is you committed (unless released) to that club until you are 16. The club holds your registration and will ordinarily charge a compensation fee if you move to another club. There is a system in place regarding compensation, however, in Finley' s case there were clearly a number of suitors.
From age 8, in my son's age group, the elite boys at two London clubs have been on a monthly retainer of at least £600. I have known of boys aged 9 and 10 that have been bought by those same two clubs. It is absolutely shocking, but it is allowed to happen. I don't know of this situation being investigated or queried in England. I now live in Scotland and the Scottish Government have now started to ask questions and challenge the Scottish FA on the movement of boys between clubs.
The situation regarding the movement of scouts is far more controlled in England, with all the London clubs employing stewards at the training grounds. In Scotland they don't have the money to monitor things nearly so closely and I would say that scouts and normally agents have been present at every game my son has played this season.
My son is routinely 'followed' on social media by agents and various sports companies from around the world. We have discussed this in detail and I monitor it regularly.
It is a crazy world we live in!!!