Everton 'shift approach' to youth signings after duo join from PL rivals in July - report

Everton signed 15-year-old midfielder Ademide Akarakiri from Arsenal with the approach to youth recruitment changing at Goodison Park, according to The Athletic. As per the... The post Everton 'shift approach' to youth signings after duo join from PL rivals in July - report appeared first on Goodison News.

Jul 12, 2024 - 12:00

Everton 'shift approach' to youth signings after duo join from PL rivals in July - report

Everton signed 15-year-old midfielder Ademide Akarakiri from Arsenal with the approach to youth recruitment changing at Goodison Park, according to The Athletic.

As per the digital news outlet (12 July), 16-year-old defender Freddie Freedman also joined the club from Manchester United as a result of this change, which has seen the Blues sign more youth players from other clubs than usual.

Of the 12 players handed scholarship terms by the Toffees ahead of the 2024/25 season, only five of those players came through the ranks at Finch Farm.

This has been described as a “shift in approach” by the Merseyside-based club.

Will any Everton youngsters break into the first-team under Sean Dyche?

This could prove to be a very smart strategy by the Toffees.

The club’s financial struggles are well-documented, and they therefore cannot afford to go out and spend big money on big-name signings as they might have done in previous years.

As a result, trying to sign these players before they become the next big thing could prove beneficial.

While it is still good to promote from within their own ranks, searching the country far and wide to find some of the best academy talent on offer could prove to be very lucrative in the long term.

Those players they sign will either go on to be a huge success, which will allow the Toffees to embed them into the first team or sell them on for a profit.

Alternatively, the players won’t live up to their potential. However, this won’t be too damaging for Everton as they wouldn’t have splashed the cash on them in the first place.