Leeds United and Southampton FC have something many Premier League clubs crave

It helps them mount a strong challenge in the league and has also been financially beneficial over the years

HIGHLIGHTS

Leading Premier League teams have also paid Leeds handsomely in recent years. According to BBC Sport, Leeds received a

£45 million fee from Manchester City for the services of Kalvin Phillips, who had

been in their youth system since he was a young adolescent. At the end of the

same season, the Yorkshire team was relegated.

 

Thanks to their history of developing some of the most known football players in the world by allowing them to develop

in the first team from an early age, the two teams routinely have the largest

clubs in international football keeping an eye on their youth products.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that, according to numerous sources, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Borussia

Dortmund, and Manchester City are all reportedly in the running to sign the

pair’s most recent product, 17-year-old Archie Gray from Leeds.

 

If he were to sign with the Manchester team, he would be joining his former

younger colleague Finley Gorman, who made the switch this month after

attracting the notice of the treble-winning champions at the age of just 15

—demonstrating how highly esteemed the Thorp Arch youth program is.

Leeds and Southampton have created World Class talents

However, the reputation of the two sides as a school for tomorrow’s best players is not a recent phenomenon, they are reputations that have been cultivated over many years and have delivered some of the biggest stars.

 

Leeds were responsible for the footballing education of Denis Irwin, James Milner, David Seaman and Jonathan Woodgate, whilst the Saints brought through Alan Shearer, Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Ben White, Luke Shaw and many more.

The list is endless and the combined trophy hauls of the players they have both produced is mind-blowing.

It’s little wonder that today’s top sides keep a close eye on the talents being produced at their respective academy setups, as there’s a good chance the next generation of Premier League, Champions League or FA Cup winners are there to be found.

Nurturing youth has led to promotion for both

The importance both sides attached to fostering young talent also gives the sides access to skill levels on the pitch that the financial power of the two clubs could not provide if they went looking for the finished, or nearly finished, article in the transfer market.

The Saints kicked off their rise from League One in 2010/11 with the help of young product Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored nine goals and provided nine assists in 34 league appearances that year.

The following season, they achieved promotion from the Championship at the first time of asking, which may not have been possible without the contributions of academy graduate Adam Lallana, who notched 11 goals and 10 assists in 41 league games for the club.

Similarly, Leeds academy products Jamie Shackleton and Kalvin Phillips played a key role in the Championship-winning season at Elland Road in 2019–20; the latter made 37 appearances for the Whites while contributing two goals and two assists.

 

It makes sense that the two sides invest so significantly in youngsters as it gives them access to potentially elite talent at a relatively low cost, and if those who perform well get to keep the profits rolling in, they can reinvest and start the process all over again.

 

The method offers both teams a competitive advantage in one of the world’s most competitive football leagues, and it’s the talk of their peers as well as the best footballing institutions in the game.