Tensions at academy level between Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have led to scouts being denied access to youth games.
In the last month scouts from Liverpool and United have seen accreditation requests for academy matches at Chelsea’s Cobham training centre rejected. Sources speaking under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — like all those spoken to for this article — have told The Athletic that the situation around scouts is reciprocal.
A Chelsea source insisted club scouts have applied for academy games at Liverpool, but had their accreditation rejected. Sources at the Merseyside club said no requests have been rejected so far this season. But, they added, if Chelsea scouts did apply going forward, they are likely to be rejected, given the reciprocal nature of access for scouts at youth level.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation have told The Athletic that Chelsea were the first to restrict access to opposition scouts, although that is denied by a Chelsea source.
Regardless, the west London club’s decision has been interpreted as a response to losing 16-year-old attacker Rio Ngumoha, regarded as one of the brightest talents Cobham has produced in recent years, to Liverpool last summer. United also made an attempt to sign Ngumoha.
Ngumoha’s move from Chelsea to Liverpool was a fraught one despite clearing the Premier League’s five-step review process, which is carried out when a youth player leaves one academy to join another to ensure no rules have been broken.
None of the three clubs have issued a formal ban on the other’s scouts. Premier League rules regarding youth development stipulate that clubs should permit scouts from other clubs to attend academy matches, provided the scout notifies both clubs involved in the match no later than noon on the last working day before the game and produces valid identification.
Sources also told The Athletic that representatives of all three clubs held talks last week aimed at resolving the situation, though no agreement has yet been reached. Other club personnel have continued to be granted access to academy games during this time.
Chelsea’s highly successful academy underwent a monumental leadership change last summer with the departures of long-serving youth development architects Neil Bath and Jim Fraser.
Glenn van der Kraan has been recruited from City as academy technical director while Jack Francis has been promoted to a new role of academy football operations director. Delroy Ebanks, recently hired from Newcastle to serve as head of academy recruitment, also plays a significant role in the new-look structure.
Chelsea, Liverpool and United were approached for comment.
Additional reporting: Simon Hughes, James Pearce, Laurie Whitwell
(Top photo: Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
