Portsmouth youth development ‘can be criticised’ as top youngsters head elsewhere
David Norris believes Portsmouth must launch a new Under-21 side in order for the club’s academy to compete with others on the South Coast.
Pompey sporting director Rich Hughes confessed there are currently no plans to introduce an U21 team as yet, following the dissolution of the club’s reserve team several years ago.
As a result, all of Portsmouth’s youngsters who had completed their scholarships at Fratton Park were released over the summer, with no bridge between the U18s and first team.
Norris gave his take exclusively to Pompey News: “As much as we’re talking about how well Portsmouth have done with certain things off the pitch, this is something that would need to be improved eventually.
“Whether they’re just focusing on consolidating themselves in the Championship before investing in that way, I’m not sure – but Pompey are in a one-club city that surely has plenty of local talent which is being missed out on.
“When I was there, Pompey had a good reputation of bringing young players through, and that being an income from the club. The youth side at the moment is probably the one disappointing area of the club that can be criticised.”
Portsmouth must compete with South Coast rivals for young talent
The Tornante Company who are steering the good ship Portsmouth back up through the league pyramid have worked wonders at the club, injecting vital funds into key areas both on and off the pitch – that’s a given.
The difficulty currently lies with attracting and developing young players at Fratton Park – there’s almost a notion that the club is accepting that local talent will go elsewhere without a professional development phase in place – namely an U21 side which can allow first-time professionals to develop on full-time contracts for up to three years.
This can be supplemented by loans to get players up to speed in senior football, but no club can just loan out 20 youngsters every year because they’re in a limbo between scholarships and being considered by John Mousinho – it is simply not sustainable.
We’re under no illusions at Pompey that other academies on the South Coast such as Southampton, Brighton and Bournemouth are further along, as difficult as it can be to openly admit. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Ward-Prowse, both Portsmouth locals, of course came through on the red side of Hampshire as recommended by youth coaches to get the best out of their careers. They have both gone on to play for England.
Once the foundations for the talent in Portsmouth – which as Norris says is proven to be active – are in place, then Pompey can go on to reap the rewards both financially and through unearthing potential key first-team players.
In other Portsmouth news, the latest on Conor Shaughnessy’s bumper new contract.
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