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[Albion] U23s pre 2018/19 season



Gabbiano

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2017
1,243
Spank the Manc
What with the first team about to head off to Austria for their training camp, it is worth noting that the U23s will be simultaneously having their own camp in Portugal. It’s been a somewhat quiet summer transfer window so far for the U23s and will be interesting to see which of the U18s have been brought along, and whether there will be any trialists involved. There has also been relatively little published as to U23 friendlys, so if anyone has any info as to who they will be playing please let me know!

The squad had an extraordinarily successful season last year culminating in a long unbeaten run and promotion to Premier League 2 Division 1 (the top level of U23 football). It has been confirmed that they will take part again in the Checkatrade Trophy and the Premier League Cup. As one of the top U23 teams, there is also the possibility that they may be involved in the Premier League International Cup competition, which pits the best 12 English clubs against 12 academy sides from across the continent (though all matches are played in England). It has not been confirmed yet which teams will take part in this year's tournament.

How the squad stands at the moment:

Out on loan:

So far, four of the squad have been sent out on season long loan deals within the football league. Last year the academy setup sent five players out to Leagues 1 and 2, a club record that we can probably safely assume will be broken this year. These players are:

Christian Walton - GK - 22 - Wigan Athletic (Championship) - The closest academy prospect to a first team breakthrough, continuing his development at Wigan in the Championship following their promotion last season. Will be joining the training camp in Austria before heading north to start the season with the Latics.
Robert Sanchez - GK - 20 - Forest Green Rovers (League 2) - Exciting Spanish prospect signed as a youth from Levante, who has been the U23 starting goalie for a couple of seasons now. Excellent shot stopper in particular from my limited viewing of games via online streams. Has been hyped up as "the best U23 goalkeeper out there" by the FGR goalkeeping coach, and been given the #1 jersey for the season, so hopefully we can expect him to be given a good go at it.
Ben Hall - CB - 21 - Notts County (League 2) - 21yo Northern Irish centre back signed a couple of seasons ago from Motherwell. Spent the second half of last season on loan at Notts C, impressing sufficiently as to be brought back in again this season for the full year.
Steven Alzate - CM - 19 - Swindon Town (League 2) - Signed last summer from Leyton Orient, Alzate has impressed for the U23s as a central midfielder with his link up play in particular, though at the O's it would seem that he also played a role further forward as a second striker. Word out of Swindon implies that he may be used moreso in this second striker role, but that remains to be seen.

Goalkeepers:
With both Sanchez and Walton heading out on loan, this season presents an opportunity for those next in line to impress. It is also worth noting that at U23 level, we often play the reserve senior goalies for a number of games as match practice (both Krul and Maenpaa had several games last season). The current lineup is:

Billy Collings - 20 - Local lad who was brought into the club from Reading partway through the 16/17 season. Has had to play second fiddle a bit to Sanchez for most of his time here, and will be looking to prove himself now he has the opportunity.
Tom McGill - 18 - An ever present for the U18s last season, McGill moves up to the U23s as the next step in his development. Previously involved with the England setup at U16 level, he seems to have fallen out of the youth internationals picture a little since then, but comes with good pedigree.

Full Backs
On the right:

Ales Mateju - 22 - Bought last year (rumoured to be at a cost of ~£2m), the Czech U21 international right back went from playing Europa League football for Viktoria Plzen to playing the Sussex Senior Cup against Haywards Heath Town. He would have hoped to have been pushing more closely for a first team spot but unfortunately this move doesn't seem to have worked out so well. Rumour has it that he will be heading to Brescia in Italy on loan, with a permanent move in the pipeline for next summer. Probable loan move
Will Collar - 21 - Versatile Collar can play a number of positions, but seems to crop up most commonly at right back. He has suffered a few injuries over the last few years and, at 21, this season will be an important one to prove he can make the next step into senior football.
Owen Moore - 19 - Moore became more of a fixture within the squad towards the end of last season, playing at right back as well as centre. Without competition from Mateju and Hornby-Forbes, perhaps he can make this position his own this season?

On the left:

George Cox - 20 - One of the stars of last season's promotion winning team, Cox was ever present at left back, his wicked delivery into the box consistently causing opposition defenders trouble, whilst also showing strong defensive game. He has spoken before of his desire to go out on loan, and at this stage it seems like the logical next move for him. Possible loan move?
Jordan Davies - 19 - The Welshman was brought in during the 16/17 season from Wrexham following a successful loan period at Bangor City (whose manager hailed him as "the next Gareth Bale"). Davies can also play left wing, and has had some troubles with injuries during his time at Albion.
Joe Tomlinson - 17 - The only new signing so far this summer! Brought in from Yeovil Town, who it seems are struggling financially with the infrastructure to develop their youth all the way to the senior squad, releasing their full cohort of scholars this summer. Tomlinson is an attacking full back, who signed after impressing on trial.

Centre Backs

Ben White
- 20 - Spent last season on loan at Newport in League 2, impressing thoroughly, winning a number of end-of-season awards and being described as the club's "best ever loan signing". He also impressed during the club's cup run against higher league opposition in the form of Leeds and Tottenham. We can expect him to continue his development in a higher league next season, with the Argus having implied that there has even been some interest from Championship clubs. Probable loan move
Ben Barclay - 21 - Barclay has struggled with injuries over the last couple of seasons, and at 21 this season will be pivotal to prove that he can make the cut as a senior professional. Following his return from injury last season, Barclay was a regular in the centre of defence with Dallison, and will be looking to retain his place.
Josh Kerr - 20 - The Scot, signed last summer from Celtic, was a starting centre back for most of the first half of the season, but found himself back on the bench at the tail end of the campaign due to the performances of Dallison and Barclay. Following Dallison's release, Kerr has the chance to stake his claim for a berth once again.
Warren O'Hora - 18 - Signed in January from Bohemians, O'Hora came to the club carrying an injury and has had limited playing time so far. Something of a mystery, this one, but a regular in the Irish U19s alongside Molumby, hopefully he can prove himself here at the Albion.

Wide Midfield

Soufyan Ahannach - 22 - Brought in last summer from Almere, the Dutchman impressed in the first half of the season with strong and purposeful wide play. Following reports of homesickness, he returned to Holland on loan, at Sparta Rotterdam, where he was a regular starter until a horror double leg break cut his loan spell short. Ahannach will presumably be out injured for much of this season as a result and we wish him all the best in his recovery.
Jordan Maguire Drew - 20 - Impressed in the National League in 16/17 at Dag & Red, however suffered a couple of disappointing loan spells and intermittent injury problems last year at Lincoln and Coventry. Was criticised for sometimes going missing in games and being too lightweight (familiar criticisms to most young wingers), so will be looking to prove the doubters wrong. It will be interesting to see whether the club send him out on loan again or decide to keep him in house this year for his development. Possible loan move?
James Tilley - 20 - Possibly more of a second striker than wide midfield, but moved around somewhat in his role for the U23s last year. Tilley made his debut at 16 for the first team and scored his first senior goal in the Carabao Cup against Barnet last autumn. However such was the competition for places at the end of the last campaign, he often found himself on the bench at U23 level, playing the impact sub role. Rumours were last season that we were looking for a suitable loan move for him, something that seems likely after such a long time playing at U23 level. Possible loan move?

Centre Midfield
Quite possibly our strongest area of the pitch at U23 level. A number of standout performers last season, and it will be interesting to see how they all progress next year.

Mathias Normann - 22 - Norwegian U21 international spent last season on loan in the Norwegian top flight at Molde, as a regular starter for the 2017 runners up. Following this experience, he will be looking to push on into the first team squad, and if that opportunity is not forthcoming, then another loan move may beckon. Possible loan move?
Max Sanders - 19 - Another of last year's stars, Max's ability to thread a pass, as well as his long range shooting and work ethic, won many admirers. He was rewarded with a place on the bench at Old Trafford for the club's FA Cup match against Manchester United and has recently found himself involved in the England U19 training camp in the lead up to this summer's European Championships. You would imagine that this attention has put him on the radar of a number of lower league clubs for the upcoming season. Possible loan move?
Jayson Molumby - 18 - The Irish youngster is one of the academy's top talents, having performed excellently in first team Carabao Cup ties last season, and also being involved in a couple of first team squads. Since the cup exit, unfortunately Molumby was another sufferer of injury and missed the remainder of the campaign. He has confirmed on twitter that he is back in training and will be looking to start up again where he left off.
Daniel Mandroiu - 19 - Attacking midfielder from Ireland (of Romanian descent I believe), who was another who impressed at the end of last season. Mandroiu has an eye for goal and a knack of finding himself in the right place to take a shot. Will be looking to cement his place in the starting lineup with the departure of Alzate on loan.
Archie Davies - 19 - Davies came through the academy setup, and in his first year as a pro, tended to play a bench/backup role behind the likes of Sanders and Alzate. Another who suffered an injury that led to him missing a large chunk of the season and will be looking to push on.
Alex Cochrane - 18 - Regular last season at U18 level, also with a number of appearances for the U23. Cochrane is versatile but appears most often as a defensive midfielder and will be looking to have similar success to Sanders last season on his step up the ladder.

Forwards

Viktor Gyokeres - 20 - The Swede joined the club in January from Brommapojkarna, having fired the club to promotion to Sweden's top flight. He had a huge impact for the Seagulls, scoring 7 goals in 9 league games, as well as several more in the cups. He will travel with the first team squad to their training camp in Austria, with an eye to integrating himself fully in the first team picture. Having only been with us for 6 months, a loan move seems unlikely at this stage, however if first team opportunities are hard to come by, I'm sure there would be many interested clubs.
Aaron Connolly - 18 - The Irishman first joined the under 23 team as a 17 year old at the end of the 16/17 season and now has a full season under his belt at this level. He is a quick, tricky little player, who was the first Albion player born after 2000 to make a first team appearance, in his substitute appearance against Barnet in the Carabao Cup. Has been scoring goals consistently for both club and country, and will be looking to strengthen up this season as he pushes towards the first team.
Stefan Ljubicic - 18 - Another U18 graduate, the Icelander of Serbian descent is a strong, tall player and top scorer for the U18s last year. This season he will have to prove that he has the skill and presence to make it at U23.
Bojan Radulovic - 18 - Serbian signed in January from Spanish side Lleida, where he was already a first team regular. Radulovic didn't get many U23 opportunities last season owing to the form of Bjordal and Gyokeres, but comes with decent pedigree.

Potential U18 Graduates?

Among the U18s, there are a number of players who have been regulars at that level for a couple of seasons and may now be pushing on to secure a spot within the U23 setup (as well as an intake of 11 new faces this summer!)

Tareq Shihab - CDM - 17 - Defensive midfielder/ centre back who has been involved with the England U16s in the past.
Ryan Longman - LM - 17 - Winger who has been involved occassionally with the U23s last year, and was a regular in the Sussex Senior Cup
Danny Cashman - ST - 17 - Promising striker taken in from Crawley after the closure of their academy, has been involved with England U16s in the past.
Haydon Roberts - LB - 16 - Full back/defensive midfielder currently involved in England U16 setup


So this is the squad as it stands at the moment. We have a number of very promising players, as evidenced by the incredible run at the end of last season. I do expect to see more players head out on loan, though certainly not every one of those highlighted as potential loanees will go. It should be noted that as we move up to a higher level of U23 football, the competition will be better than the previous season and in order to remain competitive we will have to avoid sending too many players away. This represents an interesting balancing act for Rusk et al to solve.

Having only signed one player so far this summer (Tomlinson), it will be interesting to see where we strengthen. It has been rumoured that we have been chasing a couple of young French centre backs, to no avail (Mendy and Sissako), but I would also suggest that perhaps a little more depth in wide midfield and full back wouldnt go amiss.

But in any case, I hope you've enjoyed this little summary, I look forward to seeing how the side progress for the upcoming year!
 



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