We’re seeing an increase in younger players who will leave a club if they can’t see a path to the first team, and it’s going to improve football if they go somewhere else to play rather than being stockpiled in an U23 setup somewhere.
The Express have reported that Everton wing-back Thierry Small could be the latest example, as talks over a professional deal have stalled.
The report confirms that he has already made his first team debut but he’s not happy about the lack of opportunities since then – not just in terms of playing time, but also training with the senior squad too.
That opens up the door for other teams to come in and make him an offer, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be short of offers as Man United and Arsenal are credited with an interest.
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Obviously he’s going to run into the same situation there, so Leeds United fans may be interested in this one as it’s suggested that they want to sign the defender and they are also ready to put him straight into the first team setup.
He’s still only 16 so obviously he’s not going to come in and start every game, but he has shown enough talent to suggest he could push for a rotation role and grow from there.
He plays on the left hand side so there will be need for extra cover there if Alioski goes to Galatasaray as it’s been reported, so this could be an interesting option for Leeds.
It’s likely that a development fee will need to be paid but that’s not much in the grand scheme of things if he goes on to become a first team regular, but they will need to beat several other teams to his signature.