Leeds United have Chelsea-style plans to invest in youth to create a first-team gold mine for the future as well as an alternative revenue stream, according to a journalist covering the club.
Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent Phil Hay, writing in a column for the paper analysing United’s January window activity, highlighted the major recruitment drive at academy level since Andrea Radrizzani took sole control last May as indicative of a plan that hints at more than just reinforcing the youth ranks.
Hay is convinced that Leeds are pursuing a similar path to Premier League giants Chelsea, who, as well as investing significantly in the senior side also plough vast resources into strengthening the youth team, many of whom barely feature for the first team but go on to make a profit for the club and have successful careers elsewhere.
The Elland Road club signed six permanent additions to Carlos Corberan’s Under-23 squad in the winter window, adding the deadline day capture of Jordan Stevens to the previous signings of striker duo Oliver Sarkic and Sam Dalby, centre-back pair Aapo Halme and Pascal Struijk, as well as goalkeeper Kamal Miazek.
“To the naked eye, Leeds are either visualising a first-team gold mine for the future, following Chelsea’s path in creating an alternative revenue stream or both,” Hay wrote in the YEP. “One way or another, in the field of academy recruitment, the club have begun a long game. Youth development has been part of the fabric at Leeds for years and investment in it was undeniably overdue, in the eyes of anyone who worked at Thorp Arch.”
OPINION
Even Chelsea fans have lost count of the number of academy sensations in recent years who have been spoken of as first team stars of the future but never actually make the grade at the club. To name just a few, Josh McEachran, Dominic Solanke, Gael Kakuta, Izzy Brown and Nathan Ake have ripped it up at youth team level but moved on to pastures new with very few senior appearances to their name. But it has not been money down the drain. Far from it. Many have yielded considerable profits for the club, with Ake signing for Bournemouth last summer for an eye-watering £20million after just 17 Chelsea appearances. Time will tell if Leeds are pursuing the same path, but there is certainly more than a suggestion that they are.