Abroad.er education
LIAM BAXTER suggests more English youngsters should look to learn their trade on foreign soil…
ONE positive from England’s dismal showing at Euro 2016 was the performance of Eric Dier. The Cheltenham-born defensive midfielder’s path to the top has been well-documented. He had his footballing education at Sporting Lisbon’s academy after his family moved to the Portuguese capital when he was just seven years old.
Since his move to Tottenham in August 2014, Dier has cemented himself as a crucial cog in their starting XI, whilst also staking a claim to be part of the foundation on which England can build a successful team moving forward.
Dier’s formative years were spent moulded by the likes of Jesualdo Ferreira, and the Spurs midfielder graced this summer’s European Championships alongside some of his former Sporting teammates in Portugal starters Cedric Soares and William Carvalho.
Dier’s ability to dictate the play, anchor the midfield and break up attacks draws parallels with another Englishman who came through the ranks abroad – Owen Hargreaves. England’s capacity to produce cultured midfielders with the competence to orchestrate play has been a difficult one, and it leads us down a road of questioning why more English youngster aren’t taking the opportunity to study at footballing academies in France, Spain, Portugal or Germany?
Plenty has been made of the coaching set-up in the English game and the state of the academies at some of England’s biggest clubs.
There is more money circulating in the Premier League now than ever before, but clubs are reluctant to blood members of their youth squad in fear of them failing to make the grade, instead relying heavily on experienced players.
Every point counts and with each league position brings a promise of more prize money, and in turn a greater budget to spend on luxury players.
One point could mean the difference between a title or no title; European football on a Wednesday night or Thursday night; or even worse, dropping out of the Premier League altogether.
Clubs like Chelsea and Manches- ter City have been accused of stockpiling talent across Europe in the hope that one or two of these gambles will pay off in the form of a Ballon D’or- winning playmaker. This system runs to the detriment of all the starry-eyed youngsters who join a glamorous academy only to spend their formative years stagnating in an U21 ‘developmental’ league or out on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, cast aside as another £35million No.10 walks through the doors of Stamford Bridge on deadline day. So why have we not seen a wave of young Englishmen chancing their luck at a foreign academy setup like Dier has done in order to gain a different, arguably more successful, footballing education than one at a Chelsea or a Manchester City? Over the past two summers, English clubs have lost the odd one or two to European academies, but that number should be higher. England U19 captain and centre-half Taylor