The growing wealth of the Premier League has often meant academies are shunned in favour of high-end signings and overseas superstars, but there are some graduates who refuse to be overlooked.
They were once the bedrock of most club’s recruitment blueprints, but the Class of ’92 and West Ham’s famous production line of the late 90s and early 2000s – which saw the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe progress through the ranks – seem but a distant memory.
The precarious nature of modern football now means managers have little time to blood in and nurture young talent before they are shipped out for the next man, such is the harsh terrain of the managerial merry-go-round.
But sometimes a talent is just too good to ignore, and so, here is every Premier League club’s active academy product with the most league minutes.
20. Brahim Diaz (Manchester City)
Age: 19
League minutes for current club: 49
League appearances for current club: 5
Given the money injected into the Etihad Stadium by the club’s Emirati overlords, the academy has perhaps been rendered rather redundant as a result. But there is a growing excitement among the Man City faithful towards two growing stars: Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz. The latter was signed from Malaga in 2013, and the pint-sized magician has shown glimmers of promise.
19. Jack Simpson (Bournemouth)
Age: 21
League minutes for current club: 72
League appearances for current club: 1
Manager Eddie Howe was a product of the Cherries academy over two decades ago, but even Bournemouth now have the spending power to recruit big-money signings. Simpson, a Weymouth native, has to date made one Premier League appearance – during the club’s 4-0 capitulation to Man City last term.
18. Aiden O’Neill (Burnley)
Age: 20
League minutes for current club: 82
League appearances for current club: 3
The Australian midfielder enjoyed a brilliant debut for the Clarets after coming on as a substitute in Burnley’s 2-0 win over Liverpool in 2016. However, since then, O’Neil has endured two loan spells with Oldham Athletic and Fleetwood Town respectively.
17. Philip Billing (Huddersfield Town)
Age: 22
League minutes for current club: 760
League appearances for current club: 16
Billing offered a lot of promise when he burst onto the scene during the 2015/16 season and he was initially touted with a move to the Premier League during the Terriers’ time in the Championship. However, the mountainous midfielder has so far failed to truly cement a starting berth.
16. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Age: 19
League minutes for current club: 1738
League appearances for current club: 26
The talented tyro has enjoyed a blistering start to his career: starting in the Champions League final, deputising for England and featuring in a World Cup finals. All this at just 19.
15. Tom Davies (Everton)
Age: 20
League minutes for current club: 1896
League appearances for current club: 33
Davies played an influential role as a midfield axis for the Toffees last term, starting in 20 matches and featuring in a further 13. After Theo Walcott, no Everton player made more successful dribbles (26) than the England U-21 international.
14. Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Age: 22
League minutes for current club: 2083
League appearances for current club: 28
Christensen could enjoy a more prominent role this season as his calmness on the ball and passing ability will suit new manager Maurizio Sarri’s style of play. The Dane featured 27 times last season under Conte after initially enjoying two productive loan spells with Borussia Monchengladbach.
13. Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Age: 26
League minutes for current club: 3420
League appearances for current club: 38
Dunk has been an ever-present in Brighton’s defence since the 2014/15 season, and the centre-back started every Premier League match last season as the Seagulls retained top-flight status.
12. Adrian Mariappa (Watford)
Age: 31
League minutes for current club: 4325
League appearances for current club: 54
Mariappa has enjoyed two spells with the Hornets in his career, having originally progressed through the ranks over a decade ago. He returned to Vicarage Road after a four-year absence in 2016 and has since made 35 Premier League appearances.
11. Andy King (Leicester City)
Age: 29
League minutes for current club: 4393
League appearances for current club: 83
King is a one-man club having progressed through the Foxes academy and stayed at the King Power Stadium; he has amassed nearly 400 appearances for the club since deputising in 2006.
10. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
Age: 25
League minutes for current club: 4846
League appearances for current club: 84
Lingard has become a crucial component to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, and the Warrington-born midfielder also played a key role in England’s World Cup semi-final journey.
9. Paul Dummett (Newcastle United)
Age: 26
League minutes for current club: 6746
League appearances for current club: 86
The former Welsh international has been a solid left-back since making his Magpies’ debut in 2012, though he is very much on the periphery of first-team action under Rafael Benitez as he featured just 20 times last term.
8. Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham)
Age: 26
League minutes for current club: 7263
League appearances for current club: 82
Bettinelli was vital to Fulham’s promotion success last season, but with the arrival of Besiktas ‘keeper Fabri, the Englishman’s starting position could be under threat. He made his debut in 2014 and has endured sporadic spells between the sticks since then.
7. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Age: 23
League minutes for current club: 8694
League appearances for current club: 167
One of the shining lights of Southampton’s esteemed academy, Ward-Prowse broke into the starting XI five years ago and he has not looked back since, making a grand total of 205 appearances.
6. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Age: 25
League minutes for current club: 10049
League appearances for current club: 129
The south London golden boy, Zaha initially erupted onto the scene in the Championship eights years ago before Manchester United snapped him up. However, things didn’t work out at Old Trafford and the Ivory Coast international is back at Selhurst Park and remains the club’s talisman.
5. Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)
Age: 23
League minutes for current club: 10350
League appearances for current club: 124
Arsenal have a habit of poaching youngsters from Barcelona’s La Masia, to varying degrees of success, and well, Bellerin was one of those success stories, as he has since cemented his status as the club’s undisputed right-back.
4. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Age: 25
League minutes for current club: 12073
League appearances for current club: 150
After a number of loan spells away from Spurs, Kane shot to prominence in the 2014/15 season after netting 21 league goals; he has since gone on to bag over 20 goals in the past three seasons and clinched the Golden Boot at the World Cup this summer.
3. Joe Ralls (Cardiff City)
Age: 24
League minutes for current club: 12629
League appearances for current club: 164
Ralls will be an influential figure for Cardiff this season, as he has been since the 2014/15 season after he enjoyed a stellar loan spell with then-Championship rivals Yeovil the season prior to breaking into the club’s starting XI.
2. Danny Batth (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Age: 27
League minutes for current club: 12650
League appearances for current club: 149
The Wolves skipper will be relishing the opportunity to taste Premier League action for the first time in his career, having spent his playing days in the second and third flights of English football with Wolves.
1. Mark Noble (West Ham)
Age: 31
League minutes for current club: 26097
League appearances for current club: 319
Noble is a proud member of the one-man club having spent his entire career in east London, bar a couple of loan spells away from the club, and the midfield stalwart has witnessed monumental changes at the club since deputising in 2004, including a change in stadium as he captained the Hammers during their first ever match at the London Stadium.
The post Ranked: Every Premier League club’s most experienced academy product appeared first on Squawka News.
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