LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 4: Leicester City Manager Enzo Maresca kisses the Sky Bet Championship trophy after the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers at King Power Stadium on May 4, 2024 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Given the abundance of potential in the club’s academy right now, Leicester’s strategy for success moving ahead must be to be just as audacious as Barcelona. There are eighteen players in the first team of Barcelona this season who are 20 years of age or younger.
In this promotional season, Abdul Fatawu (20), Cesare Casadei (21), Callum Doyle (20), Ben Nelson (20), Marcal Madivadua (21) and Kasey McAteer (22) were all tallied and involved. Enzo Maresca is not afraid to play young players. Other players who were on the field or listed on the bench this season include Will Alves (18), Brandon Cover (20), Arjan Raikhy (21) and Wanya Maswanhise (21).
It becomes more challenging to develop young players once they enter the Premier League, but it has been done with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Harvey Barnes, Hamza Choudhury, and Ben Chilwell, so it should obviously happen again in the future.
Barcelona was left with no option, and Chelsea has demonstrated the same kind of leadership by developing a foundation of younger players who share the right values and who are aware of the meticulous attention to detail required in this line of work.
We have seen what can happen when you as a manager decide to build a player to become a first class performer at Premier League level. All those who have progressed and became either major sales or at present being inside the first team frame, have one thing in commen, they have done it over several seasons, given a chance to join a lower league club and being able to progress by playing regular first team football.
Lewis Brunt (23) is one player to have a big eye on as he spent the season out on loan at Mansfield, the same of course to be said about Victor Kristiansen (21) who has been fantastic for Bologna in the top of Serie A.
With the group of 16 winning the cup, we all know that it will be produced more players and when you have one of the best training facilities in Europe to nurse forward your talent, you will be producing players as everyone is taken good care off and being learned the game by the best people around with the proper tools and systems making Leicester one the best clubs to be in as a young footballer.
This is all logical as the youngsters coming through at this moment are guided in the best way possible and they will smash the men out there at the moment. England looks strong and have over the years been competing with the best and won international youth tournaments.
Leicester do have some fantastic young players and hopefully we will see Enzo Maresca making the most of it, the excitement is massive as we learn to see how far Leicester have come in their programmes as youngsters hopefully will flush in and build the squad for the future.
