Carsley’s kids
Skilful handling of young England stars has advanced their careers
AS the English transfer window heightens, the currency of the players under Lee Carsley’s care at last summer’s European U21 Championship finals soars.
Of the 16 players who featured in the 1-0 over Spain in the final in Batumi, Georgia, their current value is estimated in excess of €400million.
Chelsea’s defender Levi Colwill has a current market price of €55m, Newcastle winger
Anthony Gordon is valued at €50m, Chelsea Cole Palmer’s €45m, if not higher.
Liverpool duo Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott would expect to each command a fee of €30m, while Morgan Gibbs-White is now a €50m-plus player at Nottingham Forest.
Of the other squad members, Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey is priced at €30m with Everton defender Jarrod Branthwaite at €25m, if not more, should Real Madrid step up their pursuit.
None of England’s young lions holding UEFA gold medals have regressed into the shadows after featuring under Carsley, who remains a leading contender to become the new Republic of Ireland manager.
Should the FAI’s head-hunter, Marc Canham, seek references on Carsley, he could ask Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Unai Emery or Sean Dyche, whose clubs supplied 10 players to England’s U21 winning squad, what they think of the job the 49-year-old Brummie is doing.
For some in the FAI hierarchy, there are concerns that Carsley hasn’t managed enough at senior level, unlike Chris Hughton (499 club games) or Neil Lennon (568 games), for example.
It’s a point which can’t be ignored in the debate over who should follow Stephen Kenny.
If the FAI are prioritising management experience as the prime requisite for the new manager, then Carsley’s case is not as strong as others, for all that he has worked 30 years in football, at all levels.
Hughton, who leads Ghana into the Africa Cup of Nations today for their opening game against Pico Lopes’ Cape Verde Islands, would be the ultimate safe pair of hands.
And the FAI are desperate for an appointment that carries minimal risk after the gamble on Kenny back-fired and Ireland regressed.
After falling to 60th in the world, the return to 34th – where Ireland were in the spring of 2020 – will not be an easy climb.
What Carsley has going for him is a reputation as a bright, modern, manager, a first-class communicator, with an excellent track record as England U21 boss, where so many before him failed.
Carsley’s predecessor Aidy Boothroyd once famously described the England U21 job as ‘utterly impossible’.
His angst surfaced prior to the 2021 Euro finals when four eligible players, including Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, were held back for senior duty.
After England were eliminated in the group phase, Boothroyd departed as manager with Carsley appointed in July 2021.
That was two months before Hughton was sacked at Nottingham Forest, his last involvement at the coal-face in England, after taking one point from the first seven games of the Championship season.
In contrast, Carsley has overseen a winning machine with England, with 21 victories in 26 games, cracking the Euro code along the way. And he’s done so without once having Bellingham available for selection.
As an international manager, Carsley only gets to work hands-on with his players for 10 days or so, five times a year. The tight schedule leaves little scope for grand designs.
It’s about ensuring the players are content, allowing them to express themselves, and keeping the match-day instructions simple and to the point.
A happy camp can go a long way and the scenes in Georgia when England won the Euro crown were of joyous harmony.
Carsley has not only nurtured and protected the players he has been entrusted with by England’s top clubs, he has helped to advance their careers. Along the way, when Gareth Southgate has come calling for players for senior duty, Carsley hasn’t grumbled, because there’s little point.
Just ask Jim Crawford, the Ireland U21 manager, who had players repeatedly plucked by Kenny on the eve of big games. Crawford, a team player, made do and got on with it.
With Ireland’s U21s off to a flying start in their current Euro qualifying campaign, ideally the new senior team manager will adopt a flexible attitude when it comes to letting Crawford keep key players who are unlikely to get game time if bumped up to the seniors.
That Carsley has held that position for England would, one assumes, leave him perfectly placed to be sympathetic towards Crawford. A first-time appearance at the Euro U21 finals in Slovakia next year would be huge for the players, for Crawford, and for Irish football.
As Canham completes his search and prepares his recommendation for the board of directors by the end of the month, the nation holds its breath.