So, this post has made the rounds lately:

The GSB Signal chat (Diarmuid, specifically) wondered what the return on this squad was.

I thank him for the idea, but boy, do I hate what I’ve found.

Mcatee is still here, fighting for minutes. Mbete is under contract, on loan at League One Northampton Town.

The rest…sheesh.

Hodge, Slicker, and the amazingly-named Alpha Diounkou were never “sold.” They separated from the Academy and found their ways elsewhere. They were never assigned transfer values as City players, nor played a senior game between them. Their current values are negligible, so let’s write them off as success stories for the Academy. Anyone playing professionally at any level is a validation of a club’s youth program.

Doyle and Harwood-Bellis seem to have been worth about what they sold for, so let’s call them smart business.

The pain begins with Riley, the only senior player allowed to leave on a free. He is the current transfermarkt “most improved value” for a player in the EFL Championship. 14 million pounds out the door.

The front three is a tough read. We know about Palmer, so I won’t belabor it.

Morgan Rogers is a double-miss. We sent him to Middlesbrough 1.2 million, and they sold him to Villa for 9.4. He is way ahead of that now and trending upwards.

Delap has shot up to near double value, so that’s a presumptive miss. However, we do have a 20% sell-on, which could pay off as Ipswich is getting relegated and he looks for a move. Given his current profile, a lot of decent teams might be in. Fingers crossed.

So a dominant Youth Squad got us a trophy, but only moderately paid off financially. A lot of that owes to the rapid ascendance of the terrific front three. 94 million pounds of fees…for 266 million worth of players.

Menu

• Home
• Membership
• Merchandise
• Steering Committee
• Commentary
• City Pickers
• Gallery
• Tickets
• Diversity Statement
• Play It Forward
• Game Day Survey
•  

Close