Ipswich Town’s young duo of Luke Woolfenden and Flynn Downes have suitors. STUART WATSON looks at how much rising third-tier stars have been sold for in recent years.
Flynn Downes
Age: 21
Football League apps: 60 (16)
Contract: 2022 (with one-year extension option)
Luke Woolfenden
Age: 21
Football League apps: 64 (2)
Contract: 2024 (with one-year extension option)
CENTRE MIDFIELDERS
SHANDON BAPTISTE
Move: Oxford United to Charlton
When: January 2020
Fee: £2.25m
Age: 21
Football League apps: 16 (10)
After starring for Oxford during the first half of this coronavirus curtailed 2019/20 season, Baptiste joined Championship club Brentford in a double deal with winger Tarique Fosu-Henry towards the end of January. He still had two-and-a-half years left on his contract.
U’s boss Karl Robinson said: “The number was fantastic, too good to turn down. For the club it’s good business – it’s not if you’re a fan.”
JAMES MADDISON
Move: Coventry to Norwich
When: February 2016
Fee: £2.3m
Age: 19
Football League apps: 10 (14)
After bursting on the scene with his hometown club at the start of 2014/15, Maddison promptly signed a three-and-a-half year deal. Injuries delayed his progress, but he hit the ground running at the start of the next season and, by January, had several suitors.
Norwich signed him for a modest fee, reported to be around £2.3m, then immediately loaned him back. Coventry have made plenty more money on the deal since through various add-on fees and a sell-on clause, the talented playmaker having made a big move to Leicester.
RYAN WOODS
Move: Shrewsbury to Brentford
When: September 2015
Fee: £1m
Age: 22
Football League apps: 83 (8)
A central figure for Shrewsbury as they were relegated from League One before instantly bouncing back. Captained the team at the start of the next season before Championship side Brentford made a seven-figure offer that couldn’t be refused. Moved on to Stoke and spent this season on loan at Millwall.
MASSIMO LUONGO
Move: Swindon to QPR
When: May 2015
Fee: £3.5m
Age: 22
Football League apps: 90 (4)
Australian international scored six times and contributed eight assists during Swindon’s run to the League One play-off final. The former Town loanee, who started out at Tottenham, was reunited with his former youth team coach Chris Ramsey at Loftus Road. Swindon threw fellow midfielder Ben Gladwin in as part of the deal.
Following four years with the R’s, Luongo moved to fellow Championship club Sheffield Wednesday last summer.
DELE ALLI
Move: MK Dons to Tottenham
When: January 2015
Fee: £5m
Age: 18
Football League apps: 52 (10)
Made his senior debut for hometown club at 16 and was a first team regular by 17. Had similar levels of experience to Downes when Premier League club Tottenham swooped in the last knockings of the January transfer window before immediately loaning him back. He’d had signed a new and improved three-year contract with the Dons just four months earlier.
JONJO SHELVEY
Move: Charlton to Liverpool
When: May 2010
Fee: £1.7m
Age: 18
Football League apps: 35 (7)
Charlton’s youngest ever debutant and youngest ever goalscorer before the age of 17, Shelvey became a regular after the Addicks were relegated to League One.
He signed a new three-year deal in the September, but after defeat in the play-offs the England U19 international was sold to Liverpool. Moves to Swansea and Newcastle followed.
FABIAN DELPH
Move: Leeds to Aston Villa
When: August 2009
Fee: £6m
Age: 19
Football League apps: 40 (4)
After one very impressive breakthrough season at Leeds, in which the fallen Yorkshire club lost in the League One play-off semi-finals, it was clear Delph would be on the move.
Bids had been turned down in , a clutch of Premier League clubs were linked, but it was Aston Villa who won the race for the England U21 international. He still had three years to run on his long-term Elland Road deal.
CENTRE-BACKS
MATT CLARKE
Move: Portsmouth to Brighton
When: July 2019
Fee: £3.5m
Age: 22
Football League apps: 147 (7)
Suffolk-born, former Ipswich Town youngster moved to Portsmouth has part of a swap deal for Adam Webster. He subsequently helped them to League Two promotion and was a key man during two League One promotion pushes.
After an EFL Trophy triumph and play-off defeat, Clarke – who was entering the final year of his deal – joined Brighton for an initial fee of £3.5m last summer, though it was reported the deal could be worth much more than that in the long-run. Was instantly loaned to Championship club Derby for a season.
EZRI KONSA
Move: Charlton to Brentford
When: June 2018
Fee: £2.5m
Age: 21
Football League apps: 62 (9)
Youth graduate broke into Charlton first team after their relegation from the Championship. After being named the club’s young player of the season, he signed a new three-year deal. A year later, after Charlton lost in the play-off semis, the England U20 international moved across London to Championship side Brentford. One year on he was signed by newly-promoted Premier League club Aston Villa.
ROB HOLDING
Move: Bolton to Arsenal
When: July 2016
Fee: £2m
Age: 20
Football League apps: 26 (1)
Was named the club’s player of the year as Bolton finished bottom of the Championship, his performances earning him an England U21 call-up. Left for Arsenal before kicking a ball in League One. It was subsequently reported that the Gunners would pay some their instalments/top-ups of the transfer fee quicker when Bolton found themselves in financial difficulty.
MASON HOLGATE
Move: Barnsley to Everton
When: August 2015
Fee: £2m
Age: 19
Football League apps: 18 (2)
Youth graduate broke into the Tykes team midway through a League One campaign and was subsequently named their young player of the year following an 11th place finish. With just a year left on his deal, the South Yorkshire club reluctantly sold him to Everton.
HARRY MAGUIRE
Move: Sheffield United to Hull
When: July 2014
Fee: £2.5m
Age: 21
Football League apps: 133 (1)
Made his debut in the Championship, but became a regular in League One and racked up more than 100 starts before his 20th birthday. After three seasons of not being able to gain promotion back out of the third-tier, the Blades were forced to cash-in on their homegrown star.
Premier League club Hull signed him on the same day as bringing in Andy Robertson from Dundee United. Maguire didn’t become a Tigers regular until they were relegated to the Championship. Now an England and Manchester United star following a stint at Leicester.
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