[Albion] Contract durations of Albion's first-team players and development squad - an updated list

[AZ Gull]

It has been on my to-do list for a while, but I have finally made time to produce an updated listing of the contract durations of our first-team squad and development squad youngsters: a whopping 67 individuals. You will find yourself wanting to refer to it as the season reaches a climax: comprehensive, accurate and colour-coordinated to boot, you should bookmark the following link:-

NSC's comprehensive guide to Albion squad contract durations

 

[Machiavelli]

Fantastic. Thanks again.
The first 25 seems about right in terms of durations. You've indicated that there is uncertainty about many of the u21s/23s, but what stands out most obviously there is the club needs to prioritise giving Max Sanders and Henrik Bjordal new contracts.

 

[jasetheace]

Many Thanks. These things are so useful

 

[A1X]

Can't see any of the senior players with contracts ending 2018 being renewed. I hope someone has at least asked Liam Rosenior the question of whether he fancies a coaching gig.

 

[Quinney]

Thanks for taking the time to compile. I’ve not seen him play but Bjordal seems to score regularly for the u23’s and gets good reviews, would be nice to see him stay at least another season to see if he could breakthrough.


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[Cowfold Seagull]

Looking through that list of players, it brought it home to me, just how difficult it is, even for the brightest prospects from our development squad, (Hall, Molumby, Sanders, Tilley, Connolly et al.) to break through into playing regular first team football for the club.

Only the real cream of the crop will make it, if indeed any at all. A great shame in many ways.

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

Looking through that list of players, it brought it home to me, just how difficult it is, even for the brightest prospects from our development squad, (Hall, Molumby, Sanders, Tilley, Connolly et al.) to break through into playing regular first team football for the club.

Only the real cream of the crop will make it, if indeed any at all. A great shame in many ways.

Molumby was getting close, and in a few match day squads before injury derailed his season.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Looking through that list of players, it brought it home to me, just how difficult it is, even for the brightest prospects from our development squad, (Hall, Molumby, Sanders, Tilley, Connolly et al.) to break through into playing regular first team football for the club.

Only the real cream of the crop will make it, if indeed any at all. A great shame in many ways.

That's life in the Premier League, but quite a few will make a good living playing in the lower leagues. We needed the youngsters in League 1, and to an extent in the Championship, but they need to be exceptional now.
That isn't to say they won't have a good career as professionals.

 

[TSB]

Great work.

Sanchez will definitely be offered another one.
Most ending 2018, I suspect, won't.

 

[Sheebo]

Just having a moment - who remembers Baz & Battiepeidi (sp) ? Random I know but...

 

[brightonrock]

That's life in the Premier League, but quite a few will make a good living playing in the lower leagues. We needed the youngsters in League 1, and to an extent in the Championship, but they need to be exceptional now.
That isn't to say they won't have a good career as professionals.

Absolutely this. And to all the moaners who complain we never bring youth players through and that the U23s is a waste of time - bear in mind we only need to find or produce one top class player, sell him for £20m+ (not unlikely in the market now), and the training ground is effectively paid for.

I'm not sure the point of the Level 1 academy is to produce first-team ready players every season; but if/when we do, it'll pay dividends.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Some of the players in the U23s are perhaps younger than people realise - Molumby is 18 and Sanders just turned 19.

Their time will come.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Just having a moment - who remembers Baz & Battiepeidi (sp) ? Random I know but...

Yep, two young Argentniian midfielders signed by Gus Poyet back in 2010. Only lasted a single season, and now seemingly completely disappeared from the game.

 

[albionalex]

Great work.

Sanchez will definitely be offered another one.
Most ending 2018, I suspect, won't.

Do you have inside info!? lol He's just signed a new contract, announced 5 mins ago.

 

[AZ Gull]

I reckon the club has done this just to make my list out-of-date already

[TWEET]987345149280874502[/TWEET]

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I reckon the club has done this just to make my list out-of-date already

[TWEET]987345149280874502[/TWEET]

Haha.

 

[Raskolnikov]

I reckon the club has done this just to make my list out-of-date already

[TWEET]987345149280874502[/TWEET]

Does this make him a home grown player being in our development squad or is it capped by age?

 

[chaileyjem]

Some of the players in the U23s are perhaps younger than people realise - Molumby is 18 and Sanders just turned 19.

Their time will come.

And likewise wonder what the plans are for Christian Walton who is still just 22. Ben White is 20 & Robert Sanchez is 20 now all on relatively recent, long contracts.

 

[AZ Gull]

Does this make him a home grown player being in our development squad or is it capped by age?

He is an HGP, yes.

The definition of an HGP:-

An HGP means a player who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).

He will turn 21 in November, so he will have had to have been registered for 36 months prior to the end of the 2018-19 season. He will reach that mark in June of this year (he signed his first professional contract in June 2015).

He will still meet the classification of an U-21 player next season. He wouldn't need to be named in the 25-man Premier League squad until the 2019-20 season.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

He is an HGP, yes.

The definition of an HGP:-

An HGP means a player who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).

Reading those rules, I struggle to fully understand why Glenn Murray doesn't count. Prior to his 21st birthday he spent a year playing in the states, but must have easily been registered with clubs 'affiliated to the FA' for at least three seasons' in his teenage years. Is there some qualification to that affiliation - do they have to be senior level clubs, or professional contracts?

Every club in the country is affiliated to the FA through their county FA, so taking those rules literally, he'd qualify. Otherwise, does any player who comes late into the pro game (for example Doug Loft, who signed from Hastings at 20) not count as HG?