How many "top" can you have? This is getting silly. I left out Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard as exceptions to the rule.
I'd say 6 academies for pretty much all of the English players of the last 10-15 years you could call great is still a "select few".
No idea - but it's definitely important enough for it to be one of the key points when discussing Zaha vs Oxlade-Chamberlain.
As for your other point, ermm...
Southampton - Bridge and Walcott
Manchester United - Scholes, Beckham, G. Neville
West Ham - Lampard, Carrick, Ferdinand, Joe Cole, G...
Academies have reputations, surely you know this? Southampton and West Ham for example, are known to produce quality players. Palace on the other hand, are not. That is bound to affect prices, even subconsciously.
A Spanish youngster who has gone through La Masia will cost many times that of an...
I looked it up on Wikipedia, and the outstanding members on the list were Walcott, Bridge and Bale.
Wayne Bridge has played 36 times for England. That's a long way ahead of anything any Palace academy players have managed so far.
But that is also largely based on the strength of Southampton's academy, which has produced the likes of Bale, Walcott and Bridge.
Whereas Palace's academy has produced....err....Moses.
He's THIRTY. Really ancient, yeah? He's here because of Gus and the football we play.
It's not our fault Zaha's nothing special. He's good, sure. So's Buckley, who has far more end product and is about our 6th best player.
You are aware that Bruno played a lot of games for the 3rd best side in La Liga, playing numerous times in the Champions League, and was often moved to wherever Messi was playing to man mark him?
He's on a different planet to Zaha, talent wise.
The world class Bostock and Clyne? Both were apparently going to be signed by top Prem clubs for big money. As you say, only Moses has even slightly made an impression on Prem football, so it's not looking like that great an academy really is it?
This is the bit where you're meant to explain why Zaha is different to every single previous "amazing" academy product who all went to lower Prem teams for low fees.
No idea.
Wonder how much they'll get. We've been reassured many times by Seaside (as recently as TODAY) that it will be for £10m+, NO question about that.
Definitely NOT £4m.
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#CrystalPalace's Wilfred Zaha is set for a move as bids from #ReadingFC and #Newcastle been accepted #RFC #NUFC #CPFC
You OBVIOUSLY have to take into account Games Played, which you keep choosing to ignore.
Which do you think is better, someone who scores 4 goals in 2 games, or 5 goals in 35 games?
Quite. All depends on how much the club needs the money. Judging on the Ambrose sale, I can see CPFC going VERY quiet about the actual exact amount received UPFRONT for Zaha when he finally abandons the sinking ship.