#youth-development

#youth-development

We're building Swedish youth. The sign adorning the main stand at Brommapojkarna is simple, authoritative and accurate. Beneath it, in the lashing rain, the men's side are training. But while their top-tier status is important, that is far from the primary focus. Twenty-four hours before the men's game, BP's 5,000-capacity Grimsta IP stadium hosted a celebration of the under-19s, who secured a first national title since 2008.

Joan Laporta and Deco, at this point, are perhaps Barcelona's two most important figures in terms of the club's football project. The club president, after all, has been working to no end to ensure the Catalans can recover from the financial muddle they were in, while the sporting director has done a decent job in recent transfer windows to work with the limited finances.

"I think everything starts with the number 7, because it's my favorite number, and for the history that connects us. Throughout my life, I've worn it, whether in the youth categories at the academy or with the age-group national teams-so, the ability to take this step and wear it here with the senior team is a very special moment for me," he told the media.

Wolfsburg are interested in Christoph Freund for their vacant sporting director role, but the Austrian has no intention of leaving Bayern. Freund would certainly have a larger role with Wolfsburg and far more power than he does in Bavaria, but it would be a steep drop in prestige and capability. Freund has built a reputation as an executive who can help drive improvement and excellence in a club's youth development system.

Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing the highly talented defender Deinner Ordonez. The 16-year-old has done quite well for Independiente de Valle, and he is attracting the attention of top teams. Liverpool have been monitoring his progress, and they could look to make a move for him in future. According to a report via Empire of the Kop, the transfer could be on to watch out for the future.

Being an up-and-coming player in the age of technology is not easy. With the presence of social media, footballers (both established and budding) are subject to all sorts of comments from people they've never met. Wisdom Mike, Bayern Munich's other 17-year-old rising star, has handled the media hype impressively.

The event kicked off with a welcome event for players and families. After being welcomed at the FC Bayern Campus, guests were given a tour of the grounds and the Allianz Arena, which for many was their first direct contact with the stadium and the atmosphere of the club. During their time in Munich, the players are staying at FC Bayern's International Youth House, where they are coming together in a new environment not far from Säbener Straße.

If Maycon Cardozo truly broke into the first team, it would be an incredible shock. The current youngsters that are in and around the first team are players that came from the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Atlético Madrid, etc. Cardozo, however, came from the Sport-Thai Bavaria Academy in Thailand. As the name suggests, the academy is a partner of Bayern and it is a very good one. But players do not go from Thailand to Bayern to the first team. Do they?

Many teams have tried and failed when it comes to over-achieving as a bottom five team in the NHL, and the Calgary Flames seem to be the next. The coach has resorted to AI to solve his problems, the team isn't getting any younger, and the Matthew Tkachuk trade only seems to be looking worse for the Flames. Sitting at the bottom of the standings after 14 games isn't really a sign of good things to come,

Newcastle United signed Vakhtang Salia from Dinamo Tbilisi during the summer transfer window. The 18-year-old attacker is highly rated at the club, but he has yet to feature for the Premier League club because of injury problems. He will be hoping to return to action quickly and establish himself as a first-team player for the club. He is a long-term investment for Newcastle, and they will hope to nurture him into an important player.

I had an amazing time [as England manager]. Obviously the great thing with England was there is the high purpose that you are you know, I joined the FA to try to help English football to become better, to help youth development, in particular. I somehow stumbled and ended up in the first-team manager's job, and we had a pretty good period. But I am not desperate to stay in football.

Daniel Farke has been in charge at Elland Road since 2023 and led Leeds to promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking last season. Leeds have made a decent enough start to life back in the top flight after a two-year absence and go into Saturday afternoon's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion sitting 15th in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Xavi Espart's agent was spotted at Barcelona's facilities this week, meeting with Joan Laporta's advisor Enric Masip, according to a report from SPORT. Interestingly, the outlet assures that the meeting was said to be informal and not related to any immediate concerns, as the youngster had only renewed his contract last summe r until 2028. The visit comes at a time when the 18-year-old has been training closely with Hansi Flick's first team over the past couple of weeks, signalling growing confidence in his development.