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Bundesliga clubs plot raid on Premier League’s talented youth after success of Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson
Scouts from every Bundesliga club watched England Under-17s beat Brazil’s youngsters 3-1 on Tuesday
PREMIER LEAGUE giants are on red alert as German clubs plot a mega-raid on their kids.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden and West Ham’s Declan Rice are two teenagers on Borussia Dortmund’s radar, having already lured Jadon Sancho away from the Prem.
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And EVERY club in Germany’s Bundesliga had a representative in Telford on Tuesday to watch England Under-17s beat Brazil’s youngsters 3-1.
One top agent said: “It is clear that German clubs are targeting the best talent in England. The word is out and the clubs can offer regular football to youngsters who would take years to establish themselves in the Premier League.
“The risk of paying out training compensation is small when you consider the players could be stars in a couple of years.”
Sancho, 18, last week made his full England bow having joined Dortmund from Manchester City for £8million 14 months ago.
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Foden, 18, is City’s latest whizkid while West Ham are struggling to tie down Rice, 19, to a new deal.
And winger Keanan Bennetts, 19, was hailed by the Bundesliga website as “the most recent diamond in Borussia Monchengladbach’s jewellery box” after quitting Spurs in May.
England used to look at the Germans for the model of how to produce players.
They showed the creaky old FA how to get superstars through the system and into the national team.
Well, the tables have turned.
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Bundesliga clubs are now looking to raid the Premier League for young talent. Not only that . . . young English talent.
And it has been coming.
In the last five years the Three Lions have been nurturing their cubs at St George’s Park, largely under the watchful eye of former FA technical director Dan Ashworth, whose move to Brighton last month has left a huge hole.
That work culminated in the youth successes of 2017 when England were crowned Under-20 and Under-17 world champions and Euro winners at Under-19 level.
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Sancho, 18, has been in Germany over a year and Borussia Dortmund are impressed enough to look at more English kids.
Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson has been loaned to Hoffenheim and others are set to follow.
Nelson said: “I spoke to Jadon about Germany. He knows I’m a fast player who likes one against ones and said there were a lot of those opportunities in Bundesliga games.
“As players, we’ve a lot of similarities so he said I should go over there — and that’s how I can show my brilliance, I think.”
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Clubs wanting English stars is a reflection of England being world-beaters at youth level, as well as semi-finalists at this summer’s World Cup.
Reflecting on that incredible 2017, Ashworth said: “Is there a defining game or a defining moment?
“Probably the Under-17 World Cup final. Against Spain from 2-0 down and then to out-football Spain, under the pressure of the world stage, against the world’s best and playing technical football.”
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Clubs around Europe then took note of a huge pool of talent facing little chance of breaking into their Premier League teams any time soon.
From that Under-17s triumph, only Morgan Gibbs-White of Wolves is getting regular game-time in the top division.
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Now clubs are ready to pick off youngsters with low-risk investment that carries the possibility of unearthing the next Sancho, who left Manchester City for Dortmund and was in the England squad just over a year later.
The 18-year-old has taken the Bundesliga by storm with goals and assists to match his dazzling footwork.
Dortmund have an eye on Foden from that Under-17 triumph plus West Ham’s Rice, 19, who may yet switch countries to become an England player despite three friendly outings for the Republic of Ireland.
Borussia Monchengladbach took Keanan Bennetts, 19, from Spurs and also have former Crystal Palace youngster Mandela Egbo, 21.
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RB Leipzig have taken on Paul Mitchell as head of recruitment, looking to tap into a network that saw him help sign England and Spurs star Dele Alli.
They have taken highly-rated Matty Bondswell from Nottingham Forest and loaned Ademola Lookman from Everton last season.
Nelson, on a season-long loan at Hoffenheim, added: “The aim is to show myself in the Bundesliga and hopefully come back to the Premier League with Arsenal. I wanted to take that gamble and it’s going well so far.”
Others may not just look at loan deals.
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18-year-old Jadon Sancho discusses his call-up to the England squad to face Croatia and Spain
Elsewhere in Europe Reo Griffiths left Spurs for Lyon, while Jonathan Panzo is at Monaco after starting at Chelsea.
Chris Willock also quit the Prem, joining Portuguese giants Benfica from Arsenal.
They are all products of the Ashworth era, where the plan was hatched at St George’s Park to get ALL teams wearing the Three Lions to be playing in the same style.
Gareth Southgate’s side showed what that style was during the World Cup as England played out from the back, tried to keep the ball and managed to reach the semi-finals.
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It is no wonder Telford’s New Bucks Head stadium was packed with scouts to watch England Under-17s defeat Brazil on Tuesday.
If Ashworth’s turning point was the Under-17s win, the moment things changed for English youngsters was Sancho’s move.
English players were previously seen as bad travellers and Southgate’s squad was the only one at the World Cup with just players from that country’s domestic leagues. The squad for this week’s win over Spain marked a shift.
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Sancho has dazzled in the Bundesliga and Mason Mount has impressed in the Championship with Derby after a loan spell at Vitesse Arnhem in Holland last season.
James Maddison was in the Championship last term with Norwich, showing talent can shine outside the Prem.
Southgate has bemoaned having just 30 per cent of the top flight to choose from when looking at players to select. That pool is set to grow with top-flight players across the continent.