Players that slipped through City’s fingers…

Pogue Mahone

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Has there ever been a time when one club has so many former players simultaneously excelling at other clubs around Europe?

Something that seems even more mental when you think how badly they could do with some fresh talent.

Julian Alvarez
Cole Palmer
Morgan Rogers
Lavia
Liam Delap
Pedro Porro
Frimpong
Gittens

I’m sure there’s more?

I mean, credit to them for identifying/developing these players in the first place but surely they’ve dropped a bollock by allowing them all to leave?
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Has there ever been a time when one club has so many former players simultaneously excelling at other clubs around Europe?

Something that seems even more mental when you think how badly they could do with some fresh talent.

Julian Alvarez
Cole Palmer
Morgan Rogers
Lavia
Liam Delap
Pedro Porro
Frimpong
Gittens

I’m sure there’s more?

I mean, credit to them for identifying/developing these players in the first place but surely they’ve dropped a bollock by allowing them all to leave?
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I recall ten years ago having discussions with people who were telling me about how amazing city’s academy was and how they were pulling in all these youngsters and how it was to be jealous of.

And I remember saying it’s completely pointless in the grand scheme of things because young players won’t get a chance at city. Guardiola was never going to bred young players into his team at any significant level. All he cares about is his own legacy and collecting trophies.
What is hilarious too is that they didn’t sell many of those players for a great price. Hell even palmer it looks like they should have got a lot more.

So basically, after fifteen years of building and upgrading their fancy academy. Fifteen years of bribing the parents of half the young prodigies around the world. All they have to show for it is Phil Foden and a bang average sideshow bob lookalike.
 
It's normal that when you've got a super strong first team, younger players don't get many chances...

Same thing happened to us with Salah, KDB and others.
 
£82 mil for Alvarez. I will drive him to Madrid myself. At that price it was a no brainer regardless of how the season has gone.
Easy to look back now that they could do with some of those players.
Cold Palmer is the only one I will say they let slip.

Bringing back Luiz from Juventus will help them in the midfield as well.
 
Mb194dc said:
It's normal that when you've got a super strong first team, younger players don't get many chances...

Same thing happened to us with Salah, KDB and others.
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KDB was about 23 wasn't he? Was Salah about 22?
 
Greyfog said:
£82 mil for Alvarez. I will drive him to Madrid myself. At that price it was a no brainer regardless of how the season has gone.
Easy to look back now that they could do with some of those players.
Cold Palmer is the only one I will say they let slip.

Bringing back Luiz from Juventus will help them in the midfield as well.
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Yeah the Alavarez sale was fair enough. He wasn't going to play second fiddle to Haaland forever either.

But the rest? Thanks to winning they've avoided any criticism but it's crazy how the path from youth to first team has been neglected by them.

But we know Pep. No interest if it doesn't get him instant success.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Has there ever been a time when one club has so many former players simultaneously excelling at other clubs around Europe?

Something that seems even more mental when you think how badly they could do with some fresh talent.

Julian Alvarez
Cole Palmer
Morgan Rogers
Lavia
Liam Delap
Pedro Porro
Frimpong
Gittens

I’m sure there’s more?

I mean, credit to them for identifying/developing these players in the first place but surely they’ve dropped a bollock by allowing them all to leave?
Click to expand...
Yes but the one that really slipped away was Palmer. How could a top manager like Pep not see the level of talent he was letting go to a rival club. He's actually better than Foden.
 
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Also Ferran Torres, though he hasn't fullfilled his potential.

With Palmer City wouldn't have this kind of results they have lately, even with Rodri out etc.
 
Lavia, Luiz, Rogers and Palmer would all walk into this city team and all were let go for peanuts, except Palmer, for whom they still only got 40m and was instantly brilliant for Chelsea.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Has there ever been a time when one club has so many former players simultaneously excelling at other clubs around Europe?

Something that seems even more mental when you think how badly they could do with some fresh talent.

Julian Alvarez
Cole Palmer
Morgan Rogers
Lavia
Liam Delap
Pedro Porro
Frimpong
Gittens

I’m sure there’s more?

I mean, credit to them for identifying/developing these players in the first place but surely they’ve dropped a bollock by allowing them all to leave?
Click to expand...

First it's normal for young players to not find a secure place, worse on a stack winning team, history has plenty of examples with even quite a number of nowadays all timers.

Alvarez isn't excelling, he is playing from good to very good and he would always add positives to any club or NT, it's just his nature and atributes.
They got a great number for him, not as odd like some people here thinks with current market, given City's powerful position and his profile with an already experienced carreer being quite young.
Worse "problem" with him it's not finding a proper replacement...yet they might thought precisly what somehow it's condemned here: actually replacing him with younger fellas from the youth ranks or new young guns recently adquired, it's not working so far and Foden's below par season makes it worse.

Cole Palmer played not that great in his tenure in City, or better said, looked a bit conflictive and prone to not do whatever Pep wanted. He never looked like the type of player for City given his demands, his individualist tendencies while there and his more instinctive style, it just wasn't to happen that fast, maybe it could have worked with more patience from both sides. PD: Dokku it's also an odd buy form them.

From the rest Lavia it's the one that maybe would have helped a lot providing some steal to the mid they abosolutely need. Yet, maybe there is too much "Yaya" in him for Pep's taste, dunno.
 
simplyared said:
Yes but the one that really slipped away was Palmer. How could a top manager like Pep not see the level of talent he was letting go to a rival club. He's actually better than Foden.
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He wanted to keep him. He was starting him at the beginning of 23/24 in order to get him to stay, but he still forced his way out to Chelsea by the end of the window.

This is like when people used to bring up Ferguson letting Pique leave. If a player refuses to sign a new contract and is asking to leave there's not a lot you can do.
 
Dominos said:
He wanted to keep him. He was starting him at the beginning of 23/24 in order to get him to stay, but he still forced his way out to Chelsea by the end of the window.

This is like when people used to bring up Ferguson letting Pique leave. If a player refuses to sign a new contract and is asking to leave there's not a lot you can do.
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That is fairly different. Pique being from Barca in the first place.

But ultimately it's a numbers game. Every manager let's the odd one slip through over a long career.

But when it's so many? Something is wrong.
 
Marwood said:
But ultimately it's a numbers game. Every manager let's the odd one slip through over a long career.

But when it's so many? Something is wrong.
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One month ago, no one would have batted an eyelid. None of these guys were going to get games ahead of the established stars they had. The only reason this is even a discussion is because of their unexpected recent form.
 
Perhaps not all once, Chelsea have had plenty have shone elsewhere at least for a while.

They and City have owned almost every good player that's existed in the last 10 years at one point or so it seems. There must be half a dozen players that have played for both of varying quality. Palmer, Lavia and Sancho (kind of) as already mentioned. Then there's De Bruyne, Ake, Kovacic, Sterling and big Willy Caballero.
 
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Chipper said:
Perhaps not all once, Chelsea have had plenty have shone elsewhere at least for a while.

They and City have owned almost every good player that's existed in the last 10 years at one point or so it seems. There must be half a dozen players that have played for both of varying quality. Palmer, De Bruyne, Ake, Kovacic, Sterling and big Willy Caballero.
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When the hell did Caballero play for Chelsea?
 
Anyway, other Chelsea players that have shone at least at some point:

Guehi, Aina and Hall doing well right now at PL level I'd say.

Salah and Rudiger obvious.

Lukaku at times, same for Havertz, Pulisic, Morata. Abraham's first season at Roma. Christansen won a La Liga with Barcelona. Probably quite a few more.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Has there ever been a time when one club has so many former players simultaneously excelling at other clubs around Europe?

Something that seems even more mental when you think how badly they could do with some fresh talent.

Julian Alvarez
Cole Palmer
Morgan Rogers
Lavia
Liam Delap
Pedro Porro
Frimpong
Gittens

I’m sure there’s more?

I mean, credit to them for identifying/developing these players in the first place but surely they’ve dropped a bollock by allowing them all to leave?
Click to expand...
Yeah and I don’t think they sold any of those with a buyback clause either, which is strange?

I guess a combination of having an excellent academy, timing, youngsters being impatient (& rightfully so for their own developments sake), buying expensive/world class players in their prime in each position (sometimes 2 per position) & Pep not exactly known for youth development have all contributed to quite a substantial list of departures.

Perhaps a more balanced manager (note: I’m not saying better before the Pep fans start licking their lips) would’ve stacked their first team and relied on youth to make up the bulk of the replacements/squad thus giving them minutes while rotating and therefore not risk losing them all.

Ultimately it probably comes down to the executives and their strategy. I assume their “world class” academy is/was there to balance out the books (funny that, with 115 charges) as they pursued immediate success through purchasing power - I’d assume that was the remit/strategy.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Has there ever been a time when one club has so many former players simultaneously excelling at other clubs around Europe?

Something that seems even more mental when you think how badly they could do with some fresh talent.

Julian Alvarez
Cole Palmer
Morgan Rogers
Lavia
Liam Delap
Pedro Porro
Frimpong
Gittens

I’m sure there’s more?

I mean, credit to them for identifying/developing these players in the first place but surely they’ve dropped a bollock by allowing them all to leave?
Click to expand...

Jesus, that's a damning list. Amazing that a football genius like Pep could let so many brilliant young players out the door, but I guess it was easier to stick with the tried-and-trusted and keep winning titles rather than blood 3 or 4 youngsters and maybe lose one or two of those titles they won.

The only thing is he's paying for it now with an ageing squad who look to have fallen off a cliff!
 
Himannv said:
One month ago, no one would have batted an eyelid. None of these guys were going to get games ahead of the established stars they had. The only reason this is even a discussion is because of their unexpected recent form.
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Their “unexpected” recent form is in part down to key players getting older and more injury prone. Which was, in fact, expected.
 
You might have Harwood-Bellis in your City list.

Delap was in it so why not? Harwood-Bellis even picked up an England cap, something Delap hasn't done. Both young players for newly promoted teams.
 
Chipper said:
Right after he left City, he was their backup goalie from 2017-2021. 38 appearances according to wiki and he picked up a CL, FA Cup and Europa League medal along the way.
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Huh. I don’t remember that.
Anyway, other Chelsea players that have shone at least at some point:

Guehi, Aina and Hall doing well right now at PL level I'd say.

Salah and Rudiger obvious.

Lukaku at times, same for Havertz, Pulisic, Morata. Abraham's first season at Roma. Christansen won a La Liga with Barcelona. Probably quite a few more.
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Tomori at Milan as well. Also who’s Aina?
 
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Easy to say but up until now Citeh were killing it in England and were arguably the best team in the world and just maybe these players thought they would not get any game time and decided to leave...Palmer is the standout but the rest have done feck all in the Premeir league apart from Alvarez and they fleeced Atletico on that deal.
 
Chipper said:
You might have Harwood-Bellis in your City list.

Delap was in it so why not? Harwood-Bellis even picked up an England cap, something Delap hasn't done. Both young players for newly promoted teams.
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He should definitely be included. I think I heard a stat recently about him being among the top scorer of headed goals in Europe?
 
How is their academy doing at the moment?
Not that I follow massively closely but ours seems to have some really promising players in there.
 
City ploughed a lot of money and resources into their academy and they produced some really good players. But when it came down to them getting first team football the path for many of them was blocked, because their first team was already stacked.

Stands to reason that a lot of these players will have been offloaded, especially with the PSR rules and found good careers elsewhere. Palmer is the standout though, some of the rest will just be decent PL players.
 
Himannv said:
You really expected them to fall off to this level?
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Of course not. But everyone knew they had a slim squad, with key players at an age where they could hit a wall at any time this season. And it definitely feels like an avoidable mistake for them to be so reliant on players in obvious decline with so many talents doing well at other clubs.
 
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