The Under-17 World Cup, held at the end of last year, was an opportunity for scouts from most Premier League clubs to see some of the best young players on the planet in the flesh for the first time. But for a select few, such as Brighton and Manchester City, who are quickly tapping into football’s increasingly global talent pool, the tournament in Indonesia was more about crossing their fingers and hoping their secrets stay hidden.
“When a player goes to an international tournament, their club knows that there will be a lot of foreign clubs watching them live, and that always increases the interest,” says Matías Lipman, who works as an intermediary for South American players. “It gives them a lot of visibility and the local clubs know it.”
Relating to: Men’s transfer window January 2024 – All transfers in Europe’s top five leagues
Just ask City. The European champions have agreed to pay Claudio Echeverri’s €25m (£21.4m) release clause. El Diablito (little devil) scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Brazil in the quarter-finals, attracting the attention of Barcelona and Chelsea, even though they had been watching him for almost two years. Echeverri, who turns 18 on January 2, is expected to stay at River Plate for another year before following in the footsteps of Julián Álvarez and swapping Argentina’s Primera División for the Premier League.
Álvarez’s move to City was announced on his 22nd birthday in January 2022, and the striker did not arrive in England until six months later. But Echeverri’s transfer reflects the rapidly growing trend for clubs to sign players from outside Europe at increasingly younger ages. He will probably have just turned 19 when he arrives and is expected to be sent out on loan.
“This is mainly due to Brexit and the new points system that has been introduced as a result, making it easier to transfer young players from around the world,” says Lipman. “The Premier League is interested in getting the best talent from South America and so instead of them going to other leagues first, the new rules mean they can sign players like Álvarez and Echeverri who will eventually move to Europe anyway. But now they can get them sooner and later.” “They can buy it for less money.”
The governing body approval (GBE) system, introduced in January 2021 following Brexit, meant that clubs were allowed to sign over-18 players from anywhere in the world as long as they met the points requirements required to play in their domestic league or home league. National team.
This was significantly updated in June last year, when English league clubs were allowed to sign two players who did not meet points requirements, known as elite key contributors (ESCs), in a move described by the Football Association as a “new football solution”. “This works for everyone and provides additional access to outstanding international talent.” Premier League and Championship clubs can take up to two more ESC players depending on the percentage of minutes they offer English players, either in the first team or on loan, or refer to them as “wildcards”, as some observers have come to call them.
“The fact that clubs gave a chance to a young player from the other side of the world made everything much easier,” says an observer from a leading Premier League club who did not want to be named.
Ronaldo: From PSV to Barcelona, 1996, age 19
After moving to Catalonia, Ronaldo had the distinction of becoming not only the most expensive young player in the world, but also the most expensive player of any age. Although he only lasted one season at Barcelona before leaving due to contract disputes, his move there accelerated the development of one of the greatest talents football has ever seen.
Sébastien Frey: From Cannes to Internazionale, 1998, aged 18
Frey, who signed for Inter after his last season in Cannes, was seen by many as the star of the future. He made nine league appearances in his first season before being loaned out and was sold to Parma in 2002 to replace the departing Gianluigi Buffon. He remains the most expensive young goalkeeper.
Antonio Cassano: From Bari to Rome, 2001, age 19
The striker was likened to Maradona, but inconsistent performances and attitude problems meant he never reached his potential; Especially in Rome, where Cassano could not improve himself, and then with Fabio Capello, who coached him at Real Madrid, he had a falling out. The term ‘Cassanata’ has become synonymous with being a bad teammate in Italian football.
Wayne Rooney: From Everton to Manchester United, 2004, aged 18
The definitive youth signing for many in England. Rooney was a talent English football had rarely seen before and rarely seen since. He won one Champions League, five Premier Leagues and was top scorer for both United and England, taking both records from Sir Bobby Charlton.
Anthony Martial: From Monaco to Manchester United, 19 years old
He was one of football’s hottest prospects when United bought him for a record fee paid for a teenager. Of a potential worth around £60 million, only £45 million was transferred because Martial failed to meet pre-set targets such as appearances and Ballon D’or-related conditions. Once considered the successor to Thierry Henry or Nicolas Anelka, Martial played on loan at Sevilla, failed to score in the league and was expelled from the France team after not playing for more than two years.
Kylian Mbappé: From Monaco to PSG, 2017, age 19
From the Monaco graduate who failed to reach the promised land, to the person many believe has conquered it. Mbappé was first loaned to PSG in 2017 and became a world champion when the deal became permanent the following summer. Two weeks later he became world champion with France. Since then he has added eight major trophies to his cabinet, been named France’s player of the year three times and been crowned Ligue 1’s top scorer a joint record five times.
Endrick: From Palmeiras to Real Madrid, 2024, 18 years old
The deal was agreed to in December 2022, when Endrick was just 16 years old, but will technically be completed in July of this year. By the time he put pen to paper, Endrick had played 300 minutes of top-flight football spread over seven matches, but had convinced Real Madrid that he was worth an investment of around €60 million and worth waiting 18 months for him to join. Raphael Boyd
Brighton didn’t need a wildcard to sign Valentín Barco from Boca Juniors; The 19-year-old defender had obtained the necessary points to obtain a work permit after the clubs in the top leagues of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico obtained the necessary points to obtain a work permit. The highest band when the original points system was introduced three years ago. However, Brighton are understood to be one of several Premier League clubs opposed to extending the rules to allow signing players who do not meet visa requirements; perhaps unsurprising given their previous success in South America under the current system.
Barco, who turned down City’s interest, is expected to be gradually included in Roberto De Zerbi’s squad; Brighton are using the approach implemented to help integrate Moisés Caicedo and many other import players, such as Argentina’s Facundo Buonanotte and Paraguayan Julio Enciso.
“There are huge opportunities in South America and some English clubs, like Brighton, recognized that very early,” says Lipman. “But many are still reluctant to deal directly with local clubs because they do not want to take risks and are afraid that the adaptation will not work. They prefer players to develop elsewhere and then assess whether they are ready for the Premier League. “Not all clubs have the same philosophy, but more are realizing what kind of deals can be made.”
Chelsea has become increasingly active in South America since the acquisition by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. They nabbed Ecuadorian wunderkind Kendry Páez, who became the youngest South American to score a goal in a World Cup qualifier in October at age 16 years and 161 days. Páez, who will stay at Caicedo’s former club Independiente del Valle until he turns 18, will not even be able to play his first match for Chelsea until the beginning of the 2025-26 season.
That didn’t stop them from making a move for 16-year-old Brazilian Estêvão Willian, known as Messinho, who plays for Palmeiras and played in the Under-17 World Cup. Arsenal and Barcelona are among the other clubs believed to be interested, but Chelsea manager Laurence Stewart was reported to be in Brazil last week to discuss his €60m (£51.4m) release clause. They paid $58 million to sign Roméo Lavia, a British junior record. That mark was held by Anthony Martial, who joined Manchester United from Monaco for £44.7 million in 2013, for almost a decade, but as Lipman admits, the market is changing rapidly.
“The clubs know the players very well and their eyes are open,” he says. “There are observing systems all over the world with lots of people working hard to find the next big star. This is a far cry from even five years ago, when English clubs were trying to sign players directly from South America. “I’m sure there will be many more in the next few years.”
Chelsea are also believed to have signed Pape Daouda Diong from Dakar-based AF Darou Salam following his impressive performances for Senegal in Indonesia. The 16-year-old, who is also expected to move to London when he turns 18, was at Stamford Bridge with Páez for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle in December and could be a trendsetter when it comes to signing players directly from clubs in Africa. International debutant Amara Diouf, a 15-year-old winger for Sadio Mané’s former club Génération Foot, is on the radar of many big Premier League clubs after being nominated for the African young player of the year award. The focus was on signing Europe’s best 16-year-old players but as that option was not available clubs had to look elsewhere,” says the observer. “This has made it a much more level playing field for players from other parts of the world.”