Freddy going pro?

It was just a matter of time. I mean, he's too good at too young an age for foriegn teams not to be interested.

We know they have the money and that MLS will never be able to compete with them financially.

Personally, I think Freddy would be better off, short term, signing abroad than with MLS because foreign clubs have a system for youth development that is proven and MLS doesn't.

What happens to Freddy's development if he signs with MLS and doesn't play? Plus you've got MLS already on record saying that right now he's too young to sign and they don't want that precedent.

The earliest they are likely to sing him is nextJune when he becomes 15 and even that would be unprecedented for MLS. The odds of Freddy waiitng till then to sign his first pro contract are slim.

Having said all that, I don't know if Newcastle is the best team for Freddy. (I don't know they aren't, either.) Obviously there will be other teams interested but with all the attention from scouts he'll get this August in Finland, unless the Newcastle offer is just too good - and it certainly could be - then he should wait till then and weigh the various offers that come in.

Finally, with whatever team he signs with, he should have a clause in his contract that says if, after, say, two years, he isn't playing with the first team, he can be leant back to MLS and get games here.

 

Sandon, I'm pretty surprised by your post. If he signs with Newcastle, he can't play anything but reserve ball until he turns 18. I don't see how that could possibly be preferrable to him being in MLS when he graduates high school next year. I mean, yeah, the teaching in practice will be better, but to what end? He'll only get to play in reserve team matches.

Am I missing something?

 

Isn't Wayne Rooney 17 years old? He plays on Everton's 1st team.

If so the question becomes what is better playing 2 years in the MLS or on the Newcastle reserves? Figuring he wouldn't start doing either until he turns 15.

 

Adu can't even play for the reserves w/o a work permit.

 

Thanks guys for the correction.

Is that true for all of Europe? I'll figure out the eligiblity requirements one of these days.

 

He also couldn't sign a professional contract until he is 17. Rooney played as an amateur until he turned 17.

I doubt Freddy is going to go overseas until he is 17 or 18. Aren't their FIFA rules against inter country transfers before 18?

 

Is there any sort of provision for Commonwealth member nations vis-a-vis work permits? 'Cause he is Ghanian, too, after all.

 

The important thing here is not what will Fredua do? He had the Inter Milan offer and now will probably receive a Newcastle offer. He has options. I am sure another 10 more will come after the U-17 championships. The best part about this is the Newcastle youth staff came over and played in a tournament against the U-17's (with U-19's I think) They saw what 13 year old Adu could do. They went back and told Robson that he is worth going after. Just another straw in the young Fredua's hat. Inter and Newcastle after a US 13 year old. Life is good in the USA.

With regards to what will happen if he signs with _________, the question is what will most help his development? Game time? or Working on his skills in reserve matches and training?

Personally, I think game time against the high quality of MLS will better advance him tactically than playing against reserve players and/or working on his skills in training. Just my opinion. From what I have read Fredua is technically very good. He is very good with the ball at his feet, his first touch is fantastic and he can shoot well. The weakness in reports that I have read is that he is tactically naive. In other words, he takes on all the defense too much, sometimes he misses a better option, etc. This comes with playing against better oposition and a little bit of maturity.

Fredua is the real deal. Just ask Newcastle.

 

From reading the story from the link posted, it would be safe to assume that the coaches of the Newcastle youth squad that were in Dallas were impressed and passed the word onto SBR about Adu. So seeing Newcastle having some interest is not shocking.

Also I'm sure Newcastle would find a way to help Adu get a work permit. Plus with the youth academy and reseves, Adu's skills would improve dramatically.

 

Exactly, which is why I was surprised at what Sandon wrote. Now I find, according to diablodesol, that it's even worse...he can't play reserves.

 

I seriously doubt it, or else there'd be alot of Nigerians and Kenyans and what not toiling in the lower English divisions. Having a Kenyan wife, I can tell you, it would be much a better life for a great star in the Kenyan league, with that pay, to be toiling at a modest Div. 2 side, with that pay.

I don't really know either way, except that a) such a rule isn't reflected in Championship Manager and b) there are so few Africans in the lower levels of the Nationwide, where they'd definitely be good enough to play, but much better compensated than in their home leagues.

 

I think he will sign with the MLS this offseason but his contract will say he can't play until he graduates (May or June of 04). I think he will then go and train with European teams during the MLS offseason, and whatever Euro team he trains with will have the inside track to getting him. Also watch his contract with MLS be 4 or 5 years, so some Euro club will have to pay BIG to get him. If he goes to Europe I would like to see him sign with Ajax, either of the Milans, Real Madrid, or another club with a good track record of developing players.

 

No

 

This is a spin on the old argument of MLS vs Europe for our youngsters.

Here are the considerations.
If Freddy really wants to make it to the next WC, Project-40 is probably his best option. He will be able to take more call-ups due to availability, length of travel etc. He will be playing pro, a requirment which Arena has stated gets you into the team (as opposed to youth nats success).

However, long term, Euro teams have academies that can provide more flexibility in his development time-table. In MLS, he is basically either playing, or not playing. In Europe, if he is doing well, he can get called up to the U19, the reserves, or into training with the 1st team. In essence, he will be nurtured more. He will be able to learn more about the game and professional environment, without having to take as much physical risk.

In terms of not being able to legally play until he is 18. I thought that was just in England? If not, what about Ajax current team? Most of them came through the academy, and only a few of them are actually Dutch.

 

I believe its known as the "Landon Rule" that UEFA established to protect players and teams. It established that age limit. I believe England is the only county that has the work permit thing, but there have rumblings that those rules could be changed.

 

It may be known as the "Landon Rule" here in BS fantasy land, but I'm fairly certain that UEFA were a lot more concerned with the African players that are signed as youth players, never make it, and end up being cast aside by their clubs w/ no means to return home than they were about an American kid from California who hated Germany.

 

If you hold an EU passport you can work in any EU country just like a native as a footballer or whatever. If you are non-EU then the country's immigration and labour laws come in, and they vary from country to country. In the UK they require a non EU footballer to have played 3/4(I think, though sometimes its less) of his countries matches over the previous 2 years, so you're talking about established internationals; to be eligile for a work permit.
But some countries have slacker immigration laws; the dutch and french seem to sign plenty of young africans and even some brazilians(which you won't find in England) at 15-16, playing professionally by 17-18.
As was said Adu is also ghanian which gives him more options, also if he wanted to play in England as a youth he could do that, they are called scholars/apprentices and are not under the same labour laws as professionals. If Adu continues to develop and even start getting senior caps in another couple of years which is not unreasonable, then he could become eligible for a UK work permit.

 

I agree that he's more likely to get called up early with professional experience which means the MLS rather than in the youth system of a big european club. But the flip side of the big club environment is as you say that they can better nurture the player. The MLS clubs don't have the same scale; U12 through to U19, reserve and a senior squad full of internationals, all under the same roof. The player can challenge for his level; a good 15yo can push into the U17 or U19, a 17yo can break into the reserves(who usually are half internationals) or even the senior squad.
IMO the youth camp is preferable to making a premature move to the professional ranks, which might be too big a jump leaving the player discouraged- which is the very thing all experienced handlers of youth guard against- there has to be gradual increments in the level of competition to push the player just enough but not too much.

 

Wasn't it Nottingham Forest academy system that brought along Jenas?

Not that Newcastle doesn't have a top youth program, but shelling out five million pounds to a cash-strapped club for a rising England youth star doesn't really count in terms of bringing a youngster along.

Now, if Newcastle wants to give MLS a similar sum after a year or two of Freddy in action for DC United to prove himself... then that's another matter entirely

KGDG

 

I, for one, don't want to see Adu in MLS unless they do something about craz hacks like Joey Franchinino and Stoichkov. They don't do that crap nearly as much in England or Spain. Heck, thats basically the reason that sometimes I wish players like Donovan, Beasley, Martino, and Convey stayed the hell away from MLS. they take a ALOT of punishment that because the refs sometimes let you get away with murder. Its not the level of play, just the officiating