21 Jul 2014 20:37:11
Southampton have expressed their interest in West Ham youth player Oscar Borg, dubbed as the next Gareth Bale Borg is going for trials at Manchester United in the coming days.

He's 16 and plays as a left wing back, he is valued at approximaly £250,000.

1.) 22 Jul 2014
Why if this player is so good would West Ham want to sell. nonsense

2.) 22 Jul 2014
I think this is where the academy kicks in - young players can't sign long contracts until they are 18 these days - I think - so they are basically free (ish) to pick their club at this age and so they can transfer into the best academy for them - which may well be southampton. One consequence of playing young talent that moves on to other clubs for huge wages is that new young talent will want some of that too and will be attracted to the southampton honey pot just as luke shaw, etc have done and benefitted from by raising their prem creds. There is another side to this circus - and I think in a more normal year we would lose one or two players for a high fee - say £40 > £50m and then reinvest in new ones at £1m > £8m range. I run a business - in fact 2 - and that's how I would run it too.

3.) 22 Jul 2014
Players can't sign a professional contract until the age of 17, and then only for a maximum of 3 yrs. As stated above, once they turn 18 they are free to sign a longer term deal.

Until the age of 17, kids are effectively able to walk away from a club, with the fee being for that players development usually being set by a tribunal, unless the clubs can come to terms.

4.) 22 Jul 2014
Academy to academy will demand a fee, plus (as proved with Lallana) a hefty sell on percentage