OPINION
Frank Lampard has enjoyed a meteoric rise in his career as a manager, taking over at Chelsea just a year after making his debut in the dugout for Derby.
He’s going to do things his own way at Stamford Bridge, too, and give youth a chance.
One of his first moves was to let the academy and first-team players mix at the Cobham training ground, and Mason Mount has just signed a five-year deal worth £77,000-a-week as he looks to break into the first team next season [Telegraph].
It’s a progressive and exciting move that looks to create a synergy between the first team and the club’s talented youngsters, who have previously had to leave on loan to find action.
West Brom technical director Luke Dowling is seemingly determined to go the other way. He has reportedly separated first-team and academy players at the West Brom training ground, with different doors and a different canteen.
That was the claim by Express & Star journalist Matt Wilson who said Dowling “doesn’t want youngsters thinking they’ve made it prematurely and thinks it’s more professional” to keep them split up.
I believe Dowling has separated academy and 1st team players at training ground (diff doors, diff canteen) because he doesn’t want youngsters thinking they’ve made it prematurely and thinks it’s more professional. But I am seeking further explanation from him on it
— Matt Wilson (@mattianwilson) July 15, 2019
Dowling is already under the spotlight after a sluggish start to the summer transfer window that’s seen Jay Rodriguez and Craig Dawson depart, with Filip Krovinovic the only new arrival. Manager Slaven Bilic has urged the club to start bringing new players in saying, “Let’s say it will be crucial for them to come next week”.
The decision to separate the first-team and academy players will put even more focus on Dowling, and it seems to us like it sends out the wrong message to youngsters that West Brom may have to rely on next season.
Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has reaped the rewards of closer links between his first team and the Under-23s, with players like Jack Clarke (now signed to Tottenham after a breakthrough season) and Jamie Shackleton both making the successful leap up. It’s questionable whether this would have happened if the two groups of players had been separated.
There are plenty of fans who disagree with Dowling and one called for him to leave the club after this latest decision. We think it’s a backward move that’s out of step with modern, progressive football.