Yeah I can see Deji’s contract situation going horribly wrong for us. Regardless of owner it’s difficult to deal with an agent that might be working against the club. Hopefully Deji being back in the 23’s will give him a second thought.
The problem is that the cat is already out of the bag. Him being in the U23s will not stop other clubs coming in for him and it may well make him feel that he might just as well go elsewhere on a far better, more lucrative, contract.
Yeah I can see Deji’s contract situation going horribly wrong for us. Regardless of owner it’s difficult to deal with an agent that might be working against the club. Hopefully Deji being back in the 23’s will give him a second thought.
Will probably make things more difficult now.
Agent will probably see Deji as a First Team player now and will feel that we're wasting his talent.
We really need to stop giving debuts to kids with contract issues - Its not like he came out of no where at the start of the season either, he's been around the first team since the Celtic game
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
EPPP has done a proper number on clubs like Charlton, bought in in a very under hand way to balance the power even more firmly with the big clubs and encourage ever more player farming by them. Wonder whatever happened to the architect of that shite bit of regulation.
The system sucks. If the EFL clubs, especially in L1 and L2 had some balls, they'd get together and say they were all going to close their academies at the end of the season unless they were given more financial protection, and make it a headline situation, with MPs involved.
Especially when you consider where large numbers of the England team come from
It is a difficult situation though isnt it in terms of contracts for young players. If I were Deji's agent for sure I would be looking around trying to get the best deal I could for my player. Also if I were Deji I would also be looking for what is best for me. In my opinion the lad has massive potential and if he keeps going will be a top player in a few years, however all players are only ever one tackle away from having no future in the game. I would love to have him on a long term contract and for me he walks into our starting line up regardless of his age, but if we are offering him X a week and another club is offering much more you cant blame the lad I dont think.
It is a difficult situation though isnt it in terms of contracts for young players. If I were Deji's agent for sure I would be looking around trying to get the best deal I could for my player. Also if I were Deji I would also be looking for what is best for me. In my opinion the lad has massive potential and if he keeps going will be a top player in a few years, however all players are only ever one tackle away from having no future in the game. I would love to have him on a long term contract and for me he walks into our starting line up regardless of his age, but if we are offering him X a week and another club is offering much more you cant blame the lad I dont think.
unfortunately for CAFC *(and us) this is almost certainly the situation for Deji and indeed for almost all young, talented and ambitious footballers
So rather than spend 500k on a CB and keep Deji away from the first team, we've made him part of the 1st team and will probably miss out of £5/10m+ in Deji's potential fee if he continues to progress as is.
Gallen,Roddy, Adkins are all football men so I can't see how this wasn't highlighted!
It’s a really difficult situation that’s obviously happening at a lot of clubs this level.
One thing I was wondering, how did Birmingham get £25m for Bellingham as presumably he was only on a youth contract at his age, and not a pro contract. I don’t know if it was a bidding war which increased to that amount, as I thought it usually just goes to a tribunal for players of that age.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I'm still not clear about the 'contract' situation for a player who's under 18. As above, in the UK someone can only sign an enforceable contract when they reach age 18. So, CAFC was unable to 'sign up' Deji until yesterday. But I see young players on the OS 'signing' deals before age 18. How does this work and are these 'youth contracts' enforceable in law. Also, at what age does the FA 'compensation rules' around youngsters changing clubs come into operation ?
It’s a really difficult situation that’s obviously happening at a lot of clubs this level.
One thing I was wondering, how did Birmingham get £25m for Bellingham as presumably he was only on a youth contract at his age, and not a pro contract. I don’t know if it was a bidding war which increased to that amount, as I thought it usually just goes to a tribunal for players of that age.
my guess would be a bidding war and that is possibly one of the reasons they might put a player in the first team shop window - if the indications are that he isn't going to sign and / or if they need the money to fund more urgent priorities - none of it is as simple and straightforward as tjhem just not thinking about it before giving them a debut i'm sure
I thought I heard that Bellingham signed a new contract at Birmingham just before he left to ensure that they got a decent transfer fee. Although I could have dreamed that
It’s a really difficult situation that’s obviously happening at a lot of clubs this level.
One thing I was wondering, how did Birmingham get £25m for Bellingham as presumably he was only on a youth contract at his age, and not a pro contract. I don’t know if it was a bidding war which increased to that amount, as I thought it usually just goes to a tribunal for players of that age.
He had already signed a pro contract. They can be signed at 17.
It’s a really difficult situation that’s obviously happening at a lot of clubs this level.
One thing I was wondering, how did Birmingham get £25m for Bellingham as presumably he was only on a youth contract at his age, and not a pro contract. I don’t know if it was a bidding war which increased to that amount, as I thought it usually just goes to a tribunal for players of that age.
Bellingham is still only on a schoolboy contract with the Championship club and could in theory sign a professional contract with any other club, and the fee be decided by tribunal. However, Birmingham had a professional contract ready for the 17-year-old to sign, and an agreement with Bellingham and his family - with whom they have a good relationship with - that they would sign, hence why a transfer fee is required to attain his services.
i.e. Bellingham and his family wanted to make sure Birmingham got properly rewarded, which is one of reasons he's so loved there. A classy player on and off the pitch
I thought I heard that Bellingham signed a new contract at Birmingham just before he left to ensure that they got a decent transfer fee. Although I could have dreamed that
He did yes, signed a contract on his 17th birthday then a month later left for Dortmund.
You'd assume that if he wasn't a die hard Birmingham fan then he wouldn't have bothered to sign the pro deal, as everyone knew he was leaving anyway. He'd already been on visits to some of the big clubs who were interested in signing him.
It’s a really difficult situation that’s obviously happening at a lot of clubs this level.
One thing I was wondering, how did Birmingham get £25m for Bellingham as presumably he was only on a youth contract at his age, and not a pro contract. I don’t know if it was a bidding war which increased to that amount, as I thought it usually just goes to a tribunal for players of that age.
Bellingham is still only on a schoolboy contract with the Championship club and could in theory sign a professional contract with any other club, and the fee be decided by tribunal. However, Birmingham had a professional contract ready for the 17-year-old to sign, and an agreement with Bellingham and his family - with whom they have a good relationship with - that they would sign, hence why a transfer fee is required to attain his services.
i.e. Bellingham and his family wanted to make sure Birmingham got properly rewarded, which is one of reasons he's so loved there. A classy player on and off the pitch
This is based on nothing but conjecture but I wouldn't be surprised if the Glasgow clubs were keeping a keen eye on Deji's situation. Definitely a worst case scenario from Charlton's perspective.
I thought I heard that Bellingham signed a new contract at Birmingham just before he left to ensure that they got a decent transfer fee. Although I could have dreamed that
He did yes, signed a contract on his 17th birthday then a month later left for Dortmund.
You'd assume that if he wasn't a die hard Birmingham fan then he wouldn't have bothered to sign the pro deal, as everyone knew he was leaving anyway. He'd already been on visits to some of the big clubs who were interested in signing him.
I wouldn't assume that. Some people just realize they have a moral obligation to look after those whom have looked after them. Of course him being a Birmingham fan will have helped but he could also simply be a very decent person with it.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Who really knows what’s going on behind the scenes, for all we know, maybe we signed Lavelle once we knew Deji wouldn’t sign, sell him in January, or get. Comp few next summer which will the pay for Lavelle’s transfer fee.
Or maybe Deji’s got a new contract being offered to him, I think if we get to the end of December and nothing publicly has been announced by the club, it’s safe to say he’s off.
I’d lobe him to sign as I think he can improve is, as well as improving his own game long term.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Why not?
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Why not?
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
Because I don't expect him to be given the opportunity if Lavelle, Famewo and Inniss remain injury free. You do not get very many 18 year old centre backs breaking through to regular first team football because they are not generally physically mature enough at that age.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Why not?
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
Because I don't expect him to be given the opportunity if Lavelle, Famewo and Inniss remain injury free. You do not get very many 18 year old centre backs breaking through to regular first team football because they are not generally physically mature enough at that age.
So sign the contract if you want to develop with us.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Why not?
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
Because I don't expect him to be given the opportunity if Lavelle, Famewo and Inniss remain injury free. You do not get very many 18 year old centre backs breaking through to regular first team football because they are not generally physically mature enough at that age.
So sign the contract if you want to develop with us.
Why sign a contract if you don't think that it is good enough and other clubs are offering more........ and don't say that he should show loyalty because there is no such thing in modern day football. Charlton would happily cast him aside if they didn't think that he was good enough, perhaps that is why he wasn't tied down at the earliest possible moment. That doubt may now cost us.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Why not?
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
Because I don't expect him to be given the opportunity if Lavelle, Famewo and Inniss remain injury free. You do not get very many 18 year old centre backs breaking through to regular first team football because they are not generally physically mature enough at that age.
So sign the contract if you want to develop with us.
Why sign a contract if you don't think that it is good enough and other clubs are offering more........ and don't say that he should show loyalty because there is no such thing in modern day football. Charlton would happily cast him aside if they didn't think that he was good enough, perhaps that is why he wasn't tied down at the earliest possible moment. That doubt may now cost us.
exactly right - the club needs to go at least some way towards matching what he can get elsewhere and although i'm sure covered end lad has supplied the info in good faith, i'd be very surprised if he isn't going to sign if he's offered what the first teamers are getting and i'd also be surprised if he has been offered that based on the things i hear so its alright handing out certificates for making a first team debut but if we are serious, we need to start handing out bigger contract offers rather than crap one's and then negotiating a sale
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Why not?
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
Because I don't expect him to be given the opportunity if Lavelle, Famewo and Inniss remain injury free. You do not get very many 18 year old centre backs breaking through to regular first team football because they are not generally physically mature enough at that age.
So sign the contract if you want to develop with us.
Why sign a contract if you don't think that it is good enough and other clubs are offering more........ and don't say that he should show loyalty because there is no such thing in modern day football. Charlton would happily cast him aside if they didn't think that he was good enough, perhaps that is why he wasn't tied down at the earliest possible moment. That doubt may now cost us.
Of course we showed loyalty. We gave him a free football education which cost us money with zero guarantee he would ever be good enough.
If every played who comes through that and ends up being good enough goes to the club who offers the most at 17 without signing we should close the academy down immediately as it is a complete waste of money and that goes for every single non CatA academy in the land I suspect.
Don't think it will be long before we start telling youth players they will only feature in the first team if they sign a contract before. It is what I would do anyway.
I wouldn't play him at all, not even in the U23s.
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Yeah, I'm sure that will work.
What would you do? Continue to play him so he's a) in the shop window and more clubs at a higher level than us put in wage offers to his agent and b) he becomes an established first team player we need to replace next summer.
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
I think that not playing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player. None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him. I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Why not?
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
Because I don't expect him to be given the opportunity if Lavelle, Famewo and Inniss remain injury free. You do not get very many 18 year old centre backs breaking through to regular first team football because they are not generally physically mature enough at that age.
So sign the contract if you want to develop with us.
Why sign a contract if you don't think that it is good enough and other clubs are offering more........ and don't say that he should show loyalty because there is no such thing in modern day football. Charlton would happily cast him aside if they didn't think that he was good enough, perhaps that is why he wasn't tied down at the earliest possible moment. That doubt may now cost us.
Of course we showed loyalty. We gave him a free football education which cost us money with zero guarantee he would ever be good enough.
If every played who comes through that and ends up being good enough goes to the club who offers the most at 17 without signing we should close the academy down immediately as it is a complete waste of money and that goes for every single non CatA academy in the land I suspect.
This is a constant problem for the non A category academies. Brentford and Huddersfield have gone down the no academy route with having B sides instead who just play friendlies.
Sounds ironic if Jed Roddy when on the other side of the fence wrote up the latest developments fees.
25 years ago we lost Jermaine Defoe to West ham after he was educated, nurtured and with the contract waiting to be signed at Cafc, we were usurped by the Hammers because the package offered to Defoe was beneficial to his family.
I really can't see how we progress if the real young talent like Deji Elerewe and Mason Burstow leave before playing a dozen games between them ? Deji was about 14 when he came to cafc from Kinetic.
I would like to find out what type of professional contracts can be given to 17 year olds. Bellingham parents and agent made sure that Birmingham city would benefit from his transfer. Did they put a clause saying 25 million or was it an auction ?
Joe Gomez was 18 when he signed his last Cafc contract with the 3.5 million clause which Liverpool boasted about the night he was signed. They sounded like Scouser scallywags after mugging a Londoner on a day trip to the capital.
We couldn't even hold on to Joe Aribo because we hadn't updated his contract so he just walked away. Joe was about 16 the same as Lookman when he came to Cafc. At least with Lookman, the club got double what they got for Joe.
Comments
Agent will probably see Deji as a First Team player now and will feel that we're wasting his talent.
We really need to stop giving debuts to kids with contract issues - Its not like he came out of no where at the start of the season either, he's been around the first team since the Celtic game
If you don't want to sign a new deal then that's your choice but we will have to forget about you, you can come in for training with the U18s but that's it. If you change your mind and want to sign a new deal then you'll be a part of the first team squad.
Especially when you consider where large numbers of the England team come from
Gallen,Roddy, Adkins are all football men so I can't see how this wasn't highlighted!
If he's not even hinting at signing then we might as well not bother with him. And let's be honest i would say in a very high % of these cases, the player nearly always leaves.
Bellingham is still only on a schoolboy contract with the Championship club and could in theory sign a professional contract with any other club, and the fee be decided by tribunal. However, Birmingham had a professional contract ready for the 17-year-old to sign, and an agreement with Bellingham and his family - with whom they have a good relationship with - that they would sign, hence why a transfer fee is required to attain his services.
i.e. Bellingham and his family wanted to make sure Birmingham got properly rewarded, which is one of reasons he's so loved there. A classy player on and off the pitch
More about the details here
https://almajir.net/2020/06/24/bellingham-contracts-and-fees/
You'd assume that if he wasn't a die hard Birmingham fan then he wouldn't have bothered to sign the pro deal, as everyone knew he was leaving anyway. He'd already been on visits to some of the big clubs who were interested in signing him.
I wouldn't assume that. Some people just realize they have a moral obligation to look after those whom have looked after them. Of course him being a Birmingham fan will have helped but he could also simply be a very decent person with it.
At 18 he is not going to become an established first team player (unless injuries to others force it) but he should be a squad player.
None of us know if he is not going to sign a contract just as we do not know the level of the contract that may have been offered to him.
I just do not understand why a player of such potential is not tied down at the earliest possible date, his seventeenth birthday, as It's not as though he has suddenly shown the ability to merit first team performances out of the blue.
Or maybe Deji’s got a new contract being offered to him, I think if we get to the end of December and nothing publicly has been announced by the club, it’s safe to say he’s off.
I’d lobe him to sign as I think he can improve is, as well as improving his own game long term.
18 year olds break into other teams all the time? Why not here? Especially if they're good enough. If he doesn't want to sign for us, I'd prefer we focus on other youth that want to repay Steve & Jason etc.
You do not get very many 18 year old centre backs breaking through to regular first team football because they are not generally physically mature enough at that age.
If every played who comes through that and ends up being good enough goes to the club who offers the most at 17 without signing we should close the academy down immediately as it is a complete waste of money and that goes for every single non CatA academy in the land I suspect.
This is a constant problem for the non A category academies. Brentford and Huddersfield have gone down the no academy route with having B sides instead who just play friendlies.
Sounds ironic if Jed Roddy when on the other side of the fence wrote up the latest developments fees.
25 years ago we lost Jermaine Defoe to West ham after he was educated, nurtured and with the contract waiting to be signed at Cafc, we were usurped by the Hammers because the package offered to Defoe was beneficial to his family.
I really can't see how we progress if the real young talent like Deji Elerewe and Mason Burstow leave before playing a dozen games between them ?
Deji was about 14 when he came to cafc from Kinetic.
I would like to find out what type of professional contracts can be given to 17 year olds. Bellingham parents and agent made sure that Birmingham city would benefit from his transfer. Did they put a clause saying 25 million or was it an auction ?
Joe Gomez was 18 when he signed his last Cafc contract with the 3.5 million clause which Liverpool boasted about the night he was signed. They sounded like Scouser scallywags after mugging a Londoner on a day trip to the capital.
We couldn't even hold on to Joe Aribo because we hadn't updated his contract so he just walked away. Joe was about 16 the same as Lookman when he came to Cafc.
At least with Lookman, the club got double what they got for Joe.