Academy has seen generation of talented stars drain away
One of the earliest and starkest indications of how football is going to change in the coming years came when longserving boss Nigel Clough announced he would be standing down from his role at Burton Albion.
Clubs everywhere are adjusting to a new reality where revenues are shrinking and in his departing remarks, C lo ugh stressed just how key academies are going to be in the new era. This has been underlined by the transformative salary cap rules heading for the EFL.
Wage bills and squad sizes are set to be capped, but academy players will be exempt.
For both raising revenue and competing on the pitch, clubs with strong academies could stand apart in the new normal. All of which should serve Sunderland well in theory.
After all, during their introductory press conference back in the spring of 2018, Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven both stressed the importance of the club’s Category One Academy. They even referenced it as part of their desire to replicate the model that had proved so successful for B or us si a Dortmund. Two years on, the academy is a major source of concern for supporters.
In a recent survey, over 90% of those polled said they felt the ownership was not committed to its long-term future, and the reasons for that are myriad.
Category One status has been retained and there have been home grown players playing a key part in the first-team squad. Yet underneath that, the U18 and U23 sides have endured a wretched campaign, with just one league point between them.
At the heart of that has been a dramatic talent drain on Madrox’s watch, with a generation of talented youngsters moving to Premier League academies before signing professional terms.
It has led supporters to fear it is part of a concerted campaign to raise cash, and left academy staff fearing for the long-term future of an operation that is still bringing through countless high-quality players from the junior age groups.
So what exactly is going on, and what needs to change?
The Echo spoke to staff, players and figures in the game to delve deeper over a series of articles this week, starting with a focus on the two years of debilitating player departures….
There is a very strong U23 side to be made of the players who have left Sunderland in the last two years, albeit one that might struggle defensively.
The sale of academy talent has, it is fair to say, been big business for the Madrox regime. Not one first-team player purchased in their time has been sold for a profit, but those moving into the upper age groups have consistently brought in six-figure sums since their arrival.
A not exhaustive but instructive list of those who have gone: Sam Greenwood, Luca Stephenson, Luke Hewitson, James McConnell, Morten Spencer, Logan Pye, Joe Hugill, Cole Kiernan, Bali Mumba. Add Josh Maja, Joel Asoro and George Honeyman to that list, and we are talking of revenues raised well into the seven-figure category.
Sunderland have consistently stated that they are not actively selling players, and that they have been powerless in the process.
Yet staff have been left frustrated by the lack of cohesion and long-term thinking from above, and while each of those players have their own story and reasons for leaving, there has been a consistent theme of concerns from those The Echo has spoken to regarding their development were they to stay on Wearside.
Some have indicated that they felt the club did not do enough to keep them, leaving an impression that they were ultimately satisfied to raise revenue.
It is certainly the case that there has been a view in the Sunderland hierarchy that the departures should be seen in a more sympathetic light, as a process that could ultimately help the club get the first team back into the Championship.
It is a complex picture, but the prevailing view is that it is an area of the club where Sunderland have not been good enough under the current ownership.
The Black Cats, undoubtedly, are starting at a disadvantage.
They are, as Director Neil Fox recently told supporters at a ‘heated meeting’, in a unique position as they run a CategoryOne Academy while the first team plays in League One.
The Echo spoke to multiple sources outside of the club who stressed that this makes it almost impossible for Sunderland to compete financially with the offers on the table from the big Premier League teams.
Another major issue for clubs vulnerable like Sunderland,external sources noted, is an utterly pal try compensation scheme that is badly in need of modernisation.
Even a Category One academy such as Sunderland is entitled to just £3,000 for every year a player has spent at the academy in the U9 to U11 groups, and £40,000 for every year thereafter up until the age of 16.
The consequence of this is that it makes business sense for top clubs to invest heavily and recruit talent in big numbers. The maths are relatively simple. At those numbers, only one or two players need to come good to make the investment worthwhile. Nevertheless, the rules are simple.
Under the Elite Player PerformancePlan, it is not allowed for clubs to approach players directly regarding a move while they are under contract.
So any player leaving Sunderland must do so with the club’s permission.
The Black Cats have stated that in practice it rarely happens this way, with former Academy Manager Paul Reid saying earlier this year he was ‘rarely the first’ to hear of other club’s interest.
It has also been the club’s view, perhaps fairly, that it is not realistic to prevent young players speaking to other clubs and exploring other opportunities.
Which begs the question: why are so many then taking it?