Again, as long as we offer him a contract on equal or better terms to his current deal, he will not leave for nothing to an English club due to his age. Compensation would need to be agreed or set by tribunal, like with Hoilett, Mahoney and King. Due to the fee we paid for him, I imagine it would be reasonably substantial. Though, unlikely to match what we paid or his current market value if he has a good year. Edit - forgot to add, he can still go for free if he moves abroad though.

Tbf I'm going off Football Manager here lol, but their attention to detail on the systemic things is generally spot on. We would still be due some compensation if he moved before pro terms, but it would be small potatoes compared to what you'd normally hope to get from a Prem side. I think that's what happened with Callum Wilson (if I'm remembering the name right) when Leicester swooped in. We got something like 500k or 1 million I think.

Don't think they can sign pro terms until they're 17. Although I assume you can get a pre-contract agreement in place.

Why not? This stretch from now until the end is the most active part of the transfer window.

Hopefully he has just realised we consistently do worse when we control possession, but I doubt it.

It doesn't matter what stage of his development he is at - he is being played out of position.

Tbf he probably has a budget of five buttons and a ball of lint.

Outside of people like Clarkson, there aren't really any of those. Just players who want what's best for their careers and wallet.

If I'm remembering rightly, no football club can 'secure' a 6 year old. They can just train them and hope they decide to stick around later. I don't know what age it kicks in where they can get compensation or a transfer fee for them moving, though I'd expect not until they've signed a scholarship deal, which I think is 16? I'm sure another poster with closer involvement like Sparks can clarify. That said I remember when I was 11 we played a team who had a winger being watched by pretty much all the local teams and his dad had been offered something like 10k by one of them to sign with them, supposedly. So maybe it kicks in earlier than I thought, or maybe they were just paying that to get him in and hope he stuck around later.

I mean, nothing is certain when it comes to 16 year old footballers, but it's great to hear that he looks really promising. Is he a centre half? Was he wearing number 4? As somebody mentioned our number 4 being a beast on FB.

Leighton Clarkson on loan confirmed by Rovers website.

Fair play to him for staying a Rovers fan if he has been on their books that long.

I'm fairness, we will never know how that one would have turned out without his repeated injury woes for the first two seasons.

So are you the reason he knows the club is a shambles?

I didn't mean territorial data. Just that there is a consistent theme for two seasons now that we average more points from the games where we have less possession. I posted a whole thread about it a while ago if you're interested.

I'll be keeping track of it, and posting the data from time to time, same as I have the last two seasons. Not at all surprised to see the pattern continue.

I wouldn't say so, we clearly need reinforcement in both areas. It's also possible to work on two deals at once.

It's not quite that simple anymore. You need enough points, which is based on all sorts of stuff. The strength of the league, where your team finished, how many games you played for them, European competition, if you're an international then what country it's for (how many games you played for them, what ranking they are) and even youth internationals gain points for that. It's complicated and it makes it very difficult for most players from various leagues to make it, but there are instances where you don't need to be a 75% of games international.

They are literally and by some way, the worst bunch of scum out of all the supporters in English football. I don't have any personal experiences with them, unlike the Mancs in particular, but just reading their forums shows you exactly what they're about.

He's 21, and we have loads of other defenders of similar age ahead of him in the pecking order and on the fringes of the first team. Time to kick on, not go back to the level we got him from. If nobody from at least League One level wants him on loan by this point then I can't see a future for him here.

Nah yellow is a crap kit colour, rather we got it out the way this year in the form of one we will barely wear 😛

Christ, you scared me enough then that I had to go look it up...3 year deal, not 4 year. 29 at the time too. If he wasn't such a crock it would probably have been about right.

Uh, so they made him and then he went back there later. Yeh I think that counts. Also nobody is saying they need to be connected to Mowbray's time at Boro, just Boro - the club he loves, is a hero at, still lives near and has many connections at.

That's exactly what people are worried about, that he is looking at Boro players again. You'd expect it would be their rejects and fringe players mostly in the cup, too.

Tbh I'd be looking for a CB we can rely on, and loaning Magloire out to League One if he has takers there. Then Carter plays as cover (4th choice unless he excels when played) until Wharton is back and we reassess in January. Ayala will get frequent injuries and Lenihan is prone to a suspension here and there, and the odd slight injury, so he should get some games for us to see how he is coming along, without having to rely on him too much.