Meeting the Fox Cubs!

Following a mixed start last season, the U21s stormed away to win the Youth Shield for the second time in their history! Some have said it is not an achievement or a losers trophy, but I would rather have the Shield than no trophy at all like most got…
But with that said, the target is winning the Cup and challenging the record setting Levante Youth Academy.
And so, lets meet the current team!

Goal Keeper
Pascal Loretz, 21, 82
Loretz is currently the joint 4th highest rated U21 keeper in the game and looks secure as our goalkeeper for this season. He has already played 45 league games for FC Luzern having worked his way up through the youth ranks. This season he picked up a 7.01 average rating showing his ability!

Centre Back
Ousmane Diomande, 20, 86
Defence has always been a difficult position to fill at youth level, but Diomande has changed that for us. Coming in with a lot of hype, he has taken big strides this season helping Sporting CP to the league title, and also Ivory Coast to becoming AFCON winners! Rumours look to continue this summer with links to Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea already afloat, but a high valuation may limit a potential move!
Jorne Spileers, 19, 83
At 19 Spileers already has 55 games for Belgian champions Club Brugge. A good combination of size and speed offers a well sought build for a defender, which has earnt him links to Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and more throughout his career. He did lose game time at the end of last season, so it will be interesting to see how he bounces back next year!

Right Back
Timothee Pembele, 21, 82
Right back was the only position left vacant after last season as Yan Couto turned 22. We turned to the market and came back with Pembele which is a solid choice, but one who’s potential is up in the air. A few years ago he was one of the highest regarded youngsters in Europe at PSG, he is now coming off an injury ridden season at Sunderland. Whilst he isn’t at the level that was expected of him, he is still an 82 and at a team who are happy to play with youngsters, if he can stay fit he could well be in for a recovery season.

Left Back
Alex Valle, 20, 82
Developed at La Masia, Valle spent last season on loan in LaLiga2 with Levante. in 29 games he earned over 2,300 minutes of senior football which is great for his development. That is not to say his season was without trouble, he had a minor injury which kept him out for 4 games and bounced back well from, but a 2nd injury from which he missed 2 games saw him struggle to regain a permanent starting spot in the following 10 games. The Spaniard did eventually solidify the spot playing the full 90 minutes of the final 4 games. Valle is now set to be given a chance at Barca who seriously lack depth at full back and don’t have funds to invest in a new option. This could be a great break for Valle to prove himself and earn a spot in the Barca first team!

Centre Midfield
Eduardo Camavinga, 21, 91
We all know Camavinga… he already has over 230 senior appearances for Rennes and Real Madrid combined and has won 2 Champions Leagues, 2 LaLiga Trophies, the Spanish Cup, the French Cup and 5 other trophies. With 45 games for Spanish and European champions Real Madrid this season, a rise would not have been unfounded, but that can wait for the future. The Frenchman has just been given the #6 shirt for the upcoming season showing Madrid’s long term commitment to Camavinga!
Aleksandar Pavlovic, 20, 86
The star addition for this season comes in the form of Bayern Pavlovic. He started off the season as a bit part player but made the most of all of his opportunities and has now cemented himself as one of Bayern’s best options in midfield. Except for suspensions and injuries (4) he started every match since week 19, and earned a call up to the Germany EURO squad. Unfortunately he dropped out with tonsilitis, but is now all set to go again next season at Bayern with new boss Kompany!

Attack Midfield
Arda Guler, 19, 87
It was a slow start to the season for Guler, but any player swapping Turkey for Real Madrid should expect to take their time to adapt. Adding into that, he was out until January with a knee injury but he showed everyone he was back and had what it took to be a star with 6 goals in 7 appearances towards the end of the season. Guler then had a strong EURO tournament helping Turkey to the Quarter Finals with a goal and 2 assists on the way. AC Milan are now keen to bring him in on loan, and it will be interesting to see what happens. But given his end of the season displays it would be hard to see the benefit for Madrid.

Right Wing
Vitor Roque, 19, 86
With 21 goals and 8 assist in 45 games for Athletico Paranaense in 2023, Roque earnt a move to Barcelona in a dream move for any player. So far though, that dream has not gone to plan. He has featured in 16 games and netted 2 goals for the Catalan club, and has only been given more than 30 minutes on 2 occasions (his only starts). Many have attributed this limited gametime to Xavi’s preference of Spanish players, whilst other suggest he needs time to adapt to the European game. In either case a new manager and a full pre season should help. It will be interesting to see what next season holds for Roque.

Left Wing
Mathys Tel, 19, 87
After joining Bayern from Rennes in the summer of 2022, Tel has bided his time for the right opportunities. This season that looked to pay off as he scored 10 and assisted 6 goals for the German giants. Playing on the left, the right and up front, Tel offers exciting versatility with output across all 3 positions. With Coman and Sane possibly set to leave Bayern, Tel will look to pick up increasing minutes in the seasons to come, especially with Kompany a fan of using youngsters.

Centre Forward
Florian Wirtz, 21, 93
The game changer of the team, and one who will hopefully carry us forward. Wirtz is the 2nd highest rated youth player in the whole game. At 21, Wirtz already has 91 goal contributions for Leverkusen in 152 matches. This season, he was key to Leverkusen going undefeated in the league for their first ever league title, winning the DFB-Pokal, and being runners up in the Europa League as he picked up 18 goals and assisted 20 more. One of the biggest names in the world at the moment and a player who will be key for Leicester at both senior and youth level!

Depth and Back Ups
James Beadle, 19, 77, GK
Current back up but with Loretz in the squad, he will need to be patient, but his potential is possibly higher than that of the Swiss. Beadle is already the 3rd highest rated goalkeeper 19 or younger and is coming off the back of a meteoric season! On loan from Brighton he kicked off the season in League One with Oxford United (who won promotion), but an incredible first half of the campaign saw him switch to the Championship and Sheffield Wednesday in January! In a relegation scrap, Beadle stepped up and kept 8 clean sheets in 19 games, the most of any keeper in the league since he joined and helped keep Wednesday in the Championship! A rise could come soon, but whether it will be enough to displace Loretz remains to be seen!
Dean Huijsen, 19, 82, CB
It has been an interesting career for Huijsen so far. A few years ago he was surrounded by hype, and he has shown glimpses of being a superb player. This season gone he joined Roma on loan from Juventus and picked up 14 senior games, which is great for someone so young, but it is worth questioning whether a move to a smaller team where he would have got more game time could have been more beneficial. It seems to have paid off though, as he now looks set to join PSG as they revamp their squad in the post Messi, Neymar, Mbappe era!
Ardon Jashari, 21, 83, CM
Jashari has always been a player I have liked, so the chance to bring him in was one I jumped at. He has proven his ability in Switzerland at Luzern earning 102 appearances, and has just been signed by Club Brugge which is a sensible step up. If he can replicate his form in Belgium he will be eyed up by bigger teams in no time, but for now he will be a useful back up for me.
Jack McGlynn, 21, 82, CM
Some look down on the MLS, but there is a lot of talent there, and the ratings are starting to represent that. McGlynn has been a key player for Philadelphia this season featuring in all but 1 game this season. He has picked up 3 goals and 3 assists in that time and earned himself a call up to the USA Olympic squad. He will eventually need to move to Europe, but currently he is looking like a fine prospect!
Benjamin Cremaschi, 19, 80, CM
Like McGlynn, Cremaschi is developing in the USA. Unlike McGlynn, Cremaschi has the guidance of Messi, Busquets, Suarez and Alba to help develop his game. Already as USA international, and already with 55 senior games for Inter Miami, Cremaschi is developing very well and, even after starting the season injured, he has nailed down a starting spot in the Miami squad.
Lucas Bergvall, 18, 80, CM
The next player off the talent conveyor belt of Scandinavia, Bergvall has already joined Tottenham for the upcoming season after being announced in the winter. After impressing in Sweden a number of teams were after the midfielder, but it was Tottenham who won, beating bids from Barcelona in the process. Pre season reports suggest that staff are already amazed at the teenagers ability with some calling him unbelievable. Hopefully these reports are accurate and he can show it in the upcoming season!
Valentin Carboni, 19, 83, Attack Midfield
A young star still trying to find the right place, Carboni still has massive potential, as shown by his inclusion in the Argentina Copa America spot this summer! He spent this season on loan at Monza where he featured in 32 games and played relatively well. The future now looks like he will stay at Inter and fight for a spot, or join Marseille as De Zerbi looks to build the French club back to former glory.
Gabri Martinez, 21, 82, Wing
Originally signed as my RB, my plans were, expectedly, foiled when he lost the position, but the benefit was he got a rise to 82 in the process. Martinez spent the season on loan with Mirandes in LaLiga2 where he scored 9 and assisted 5 goals. He has now joined Braga in a sensible step for his career where he will hope to replicate his form from last season!
Ilias Akhomach, 20, 82, Wing
A rise will surely come for Ilias after a solid season at Villarreal. Having joined from Barcelona, where he played 3 games, Ilias has become a regular at Villarreal, featuring in 39 games this season. Production has been limited, but the minutes and faith from the club will be massive in his development and he will look to build on that next season
Peque Fernandez, 21, 83, Striker
A free agency pick up which is already paying off. Coming in as a 73 in January, Peque is already up at a +10! It is well deserved though as he joined Racing Santander from Barcelona and immediately showed his quality scoring 18 goals and finishing as the 2nd highest scorer in the league. He has now joined Sevilla for the upcoming season, and if he can deliver even half of those numbers it will be a massive success!

Dishonourable Mention (what could have been!)
Noah Mbamba, 19, 78
Mbamba is unlikely to get game time unless something crazy happens, but he is a promising prospect nonetheless. Unfortunately for me, his presence in the team is a constant reminder to me of a monumental error… Mbamba was one of 3 players I got in exchange for Jakub Kiwior in September, rejecting another offer in favour of this one. The other offer included none other than Kobbie Mainoo. A painful thought, which will surely hurt more after the Prem reviews, and by the fact Mbamba has just joined Dusseldorf on loan, and Mainoo will be in the EURO’s final. Hopefully Mbamba can continue to develop though!