The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2024/25

[WestYorksRoyal]

He won't be able to play for Reading this season under the new rules. Players out on loan currently are not eligible to play for their parent club this season so it does seem odd to we are not letting him play in Spain. Can only think the club are concerned about the injury as they expect him to step up next season.

It's nonsensical then. Even if he could play for us, surely a playoff with promotion on the line is better for his development than a few mid table games?

I guess he could do his ACL in them or break a leg. Our thinking may be that simple. I'd be pretty pissed if Chelsea did that with Miazga on the same basis.

But you'd also have to say that 3rd tier Spanish football isn't better for development than 2nd tier English football.

I'd rather him playing in games this season that don't mean anything against players he is going to be playing against next season. Gives him a much better development imo.

I'm not sure. Obviously the Championship is a higher standard and I don't think anyone can dispute that. At the same time, playoff matches are very pressured and put an entire season on the line. Playing in them would be a great experience. He can start adapting to a higher standard in whatever pre season we have and next season.

[Nameless]

If after the first couple of games any outside chance of the play-offs is gone then I would fully expect players like Holsgrove to get minutes in July.

July could well end up being a competitive pre-season.

He won't be able to play for Reading this season under the new rules. Players out on loan currently are not eligible to play for their parent club this season so it does seem odd to we are not letting him play in Spain. Can only think the club are concerned about the injury as they expect him to step up next season.

It's nonsensical then. Even if he could play for us, surely a playoff with promotion on the line is better for his development than a few mid table games?

I guess he could do his ACL in them or break a leg. Our thinking may be that simple. I'd be pretty pissed if Chelsea did that with Miazga on the same basis.

Perhaps we want him back and part of the squad, even if he can’t play. There wil barely be any preseason before next season starts so if he trains with us and takes part in all the prematch routines he’ll be better placed to be involved in the new season. Otherwise he might end up with a week or so to prepare for next season. Only reason I can think of.....

[Royals and Racers]

House, Caetano and Azeez all leaving club.

[andrew1957]

House, Caetano and Azeez all leaving club.

Source?

[Royals and Racers]

House, Caetano and Azeez all leaving club.

Source?

Twitter - Jonathan Low

[Pepe the Horseman]

Guessing Medford Smith has gone as well. He commented on Jayden Bogle's instagram post after the Derby game saying "Avenged for me nicely".

[Hendo]

Guessing Medford Smith has gone as well. He commented on Jayden Bogle's instagram post after the Derby game saying "Avenged for me nicely".

Attitude like that, I am glad he's gone.

[Snowflake Royal]

Guessing Medford Smith has gone as well. He commented on Jayden Bogle's instagram post after the Derby game saying "Avenged for me nicely".

Attitude like that, I am glad he's gone.

Don't get to see much of the academy lads, but what I did see of him never really had me expecting him to make the first team.

[Royals and Racers]

Another gone Adam Liddle.

[Royals and Racers]

Confirmed Medford- Smith has gone along with Burley and Odimayo.
Boyce- Clarke has signed his 1st pro contract with Reading

[Sutekh]

To confirm, the EP says

U23 players Liam Driscoll, Lexus Beeden, Andre Burley, Marcel Elva-Fountaine, Ramarni Medford-Smith, Akinwale Odimayo, Werick Caetano, Ethan Coleman, Tyler Frost, Roberto Nditi, Ben House and Adam Liddle have all been let go.

U18s duo Emmanuel Obamakinwa and Pedro Neves have also left the club at the end of their scholarships.

Meanwhile the younger youngsters James Holden and Coniah Boyce-Clarke have signed professional terms with the club as have Augustus McGiff (an American striker) and Femi Azeez (u23 forward)

Surprised a little by Medford-Smith and Burley leaving after they made debuts in the FA Cup.

[Royals and Racers]

To confirm, the EP says

U23 players Liam Driscoll, Lexus Beeden, Andre Burley, Marcel Elva-Fountaine, Ramarni Medford-Smith, Akinwale Odimayo, Werick Caetano, Ethan Coleman, Tyler Frost, Roberto Nditi, Ben House and Adam Liddle have all been let go.

U18s duo Emmanuel Obamakinwa and Pedro Neves have also left the club at the end of their scholarships.

Meanwhile the younger youngsters James Holden and Coniah Boyce-Clarke have signed professional terms with the club as have Augustus McGiff (an American striker) and Femi Azeez (u23 forward)

Surprised a little by Medford-Smith and Burley leaving after they made debuts in the FA Cup.

It was suggested earlier in the week that Azeez had also gone- seen him a few times and not rated him at all.

[andrew1957]

Wow - talk about an Academy clear out but we have gone from 31 contracted Academy players at the end of the season to just 18 now and that includes 4 keepers! We can barely put out an U23 side now unless we bring in more U18's to the U23 squad.

Having said that I am not sure that most of the 13 we have released will be up to Championship level in future. I thought the best of the released were Odimayo - but we still have Holmes and possibly Osho (f he is retained) at CB and I thought Liddle would get another year. I have watched a good deal of U23 football over the last couple of years and not sure any of the other 11 released are a massive loss.

Once the loanees and assuming all the out of contracts go, we will just have 38 contracted players at all levels (down from 65 at the end of the season) and that 38 includes the likes of Watson, Aluko, Barrow, Smith, McNulty etc, let alone the ones that might go such as Swift and Moore. Looks like we will have a very thin squad next season as I just cannot see many signings happening.

Well at least Bowen won't be complaining about having too many players in September.

[andrew1957]

To confirm, the EP says

U23 players Liam Driscoll, Lexus Beeden, Andre Burley, Marcel Elva-Fountaine, Ramarni Medford-Smith, Akinwale Odimayo, Werick Caetano, Ethan Coleman, Tyler Frost, Roberto Nditi, Ben House and Adam Liddle have all been let go.

U18s duo Emmanuel Obamakinwa and Pedro Neves have also left the club at the end of their scholarships.

Meanwhile the younger youngsters James Holden and Coniah Boyce-Clarke have signed professional terms with the club as have Augustus McGiff (an American striker) and Femi Azeez (u23 forward)

Surprised a little by Medford-Smith and Burley leaving after they made debuts in the FA Cup.

It was suggested earlier in the week that Azeez had also gone- seen him a few times and not rated him at all.

From what I have seen in U23 games I don't think Medford-Smith or Burley are good enough for Championship level - although they could do a job at perhaps L2 level and some players develop later so who knows. I suppose with finances as they are we have only retained players we think have a genuine chance to make Championship level.

Like you very surprised we kept Azeez as he did not do much when I have seen him. But we had no strikers apart from 18 year old McGiff in the U23 squad after the release of Liddle and House.

[Snowflake Royal]

Surprised at Burley, thought he did ok when he came on in the cup.

[andrew1957]

Surprised at Burley, thought he did ok when he came on in the cup.

Burley did do ok in the cup but looked a bit shaky in some U23 games I saw. Thought Odimayo was definitely the better of the two in the U23 games I have seen.

Probably in a normal year several would have been given a 12 month extension but we are where we are.

[Snowflake Royal]

Surprised at Burley, thought he did ok when he came on in the cup.

Burley did do ok in the cup but looked a bit shaky in some U23 games I saw. Thought Odimayo was definitely the better of the two in the U23 games I have seen.

Probably in a normal year several would have been given a 12 month extension but we are where we are.

In what I saw of pre-season I thought Odimayo looked a lot better than Osho, but I don't know a lot of the youth players well and with them both playing CB I may have mixed them up, because Odimayo is gone and Osho is still here.

[andrew1957]

Surprised at Burley, thought he did ok when he came on in the cup.

Burley did do ok in the cup but looked a bit shaky in some U23 games I saw. Thought Odimayo was definitely the better of the two in the U23 games I have seen.

Probably in a normal year several would have been given a 12 month extension but we are where we are.

In what I saw of pre-season I thought Odimayo looked a lot better than Osho, but I don't know a lot of the youth players well and with them both playing CB I may have mixed them up, because Odimayo is gone and Osho is still here.

Odimayo and Osho played as a pair at Plymouth in the League Cup game in August which I attended and I thought they both did well. Odimayo is a ball playing CB who takes the ball up. Thought he had bags of potential but did have concentration lapses at times. Osho is older and probably a tad more reliable - although he might be gone at the end of the season too as he is out of contract then.

Quite sad to see so many young players go and most likely few will find decent clubs this summer after Covid. Probably this will be the end of many careers at EFL level.

[Snowflake Royal]

True. But if we're anything to go by, there is going to be a glut of free agents to pick from.

Which is exactly what we could do with to totally freshen up the squad. Although obviously too much change at once is unlikely to lead to a swift up tick in performance. It takes time to get.

[Royals and Racers]

To confirm, the EP says



Meanwhile the younger youngsters James Holden and Coniah Boyce-Clarke have signed professional terms with the club as have Augustus McGiff (an American striker) and Femi Azeez (u23 forward)

Surprised a little by Medford-Smith and Burley leaving after they made debuts in the FA Cup.

It was suggested earlier in the week that Azeez had also gone- seen him a few times and not rated him at all.

From what I have seen in U23 games I don't think Medford-Smith or Burley are good enough for Championship level - although they could do a job at perhaps L2 level and some players develop later so who knows. I suppose with finances as they are we have only retained players we think have a genuine chance to make Championship level.

Like you very surprised we kept Azeez as he did not do much when I have seen him. But we had no strikers apart from 18 year old McGiff in the U23 squad after the release of Liddle and House.

Nahum Melvin- Lambert scored quite a few goals for the U 18`s so might be ready to step up.