Everton lose academy talent Jayden Lienou to Manchester City – Fabrizio Romano
Jayden Lienou has left Everton to join Manchester City with all the documents signed, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian journalist reported via Twitter on 27 March that the young full-back had been snapped up ahead of two other English clubs for their academy set up.
Lienou, 15, has sealed his move as part of City’s “long term strategy to sign best talents” and was clearly an in-demand youngster.
City had also tried to sign another full-back from the Toffees academy in the summer, but Ishe Samuels-Smith ultimately left for Chelsea without making a first-team appearance on Merseyside.
Everton lose another one for the future from Finch Farm
At Lienou’s age clubs are largely powerless to resist the biggest powers in European football from hoovering up talented prospects, and they don’t come much bigger than Pep Guardiola’s set up currently.
Everton had to sacrifice the future with Samuels-Smith, Ellis Simms and the like in the summer in order to bring in whatever cash they could amid a rough financial situation.
But if Lienou ends up making the grade at City or elsewhere the Toffees may only end up with a small compensation fee that feels like scant reward.
The Welsh under-16 international would likely have been some way off threatening the first team at Everton, but when, by Sean Dyche’s own admission [Liverpool Echo, 9 March] the conveyor belt of talent from the academy to the senior set up has dried up it won’t help to lose candidates for further down the line.
Anthony Gordon was the last truly homegrown breakthrough before his £45million move to Newcastle [Sky Sports], while Jarrad Branthwaite arrived at the club as a 17-year-old from Carlisle United and has become a star, with City having also joined the queue to take him off the Toffees’ hands.
But, potentially Lewis Dobbin aside, there isn’t an obvious pathway to the first-team in recent years, which for a side that has been forced to operate under straightened circumstances in the transfer market, has only added to the difficulties at the club of late.
In other Everton news, a finance expert has been taken by surprise by the “likely” outcome of the Toffees second PSR hearing.
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