“I need it. That's why I want to keep him. “
Pep Guardiola promised a great season – and a big future – for James McATEE when he started him in Manchester City in August in the Manchester City community shield. A year later he is no longer in the cityscape.
The 22-year-old Academy graduated has left Nottingham Forest in a deal with a value of approximately £ 30 million. Big money for a great talent that simply couldn't find a place in the team.
However, the city has been here earlier. They had a young person named Cole Palmer – who had about the same number of Premier League minutes in his last city season before they left for Chelsea. In that similar time you could even say that McATee's attacking output was better.
Just like Palmer, McATee did well to find the net in his short city scameas, but was never consistently supported on the largest stage. The parallels go even further – Palmer was an important player at the U21 European Championship -winning team of England in his last summer as a city player. This year, McATEEE was captain of Lee Carsley's champions at the same tournament – only two years later.
Given how Palmer became famous at Chelsea, winning the Premier League Young Player of the Season Award in his debut campaign in Stamford Bridge, Guardiola can feel uncomfortable to let a similar kind of game go – especially seen what he said about him last summer.
“I told Txiki Begiristain [City’s former sporting director] At the start of the season I don't want to borrow or sell him, “Guardiola added after that community Shield starts.
“If you find a player in small spaces who attack the last third part, have a feeling of goal, it is difficult to find players of this quality.”
That feeling on McATEE is shared by those who have developed it. “Pep always refers to how good he is in the pockets,” says Brian Barry-Murphy, the former youth coach of Manchester City and now the new boss of Cardiff City, to Sky Sports.
“What is the most important thing about James McATEE? The tighter the spaces, the more at home and comfortable it is. He is a very specific player in that role.”
As head coach of City's Elite Development Squad, Barry-Murphy Palmer, McATee and Oscar Bobb grouped together as three players who could “do things with the ball I have never seen before”. Yet the three feel or felt the bridesmaids of Guardiolas affections, instead of the most important attraction.
Bobb was tipped for a breakout season in the only thing that has just disappeared before a single-term ankle injury kept him outside almost the entire campaign. He is now back in the fold, but even then City has invested in Savinho for the right -wing role of BobB and emphasizes the challenge to try to break through when the club can simply sign the best young players in the world for that area.
That is the most important problem for the youngsters of the city. Although they have one of the best academies in the world, they are also blessed with financially strong owners who are ready to flood the first team with Europe's best talent.
Mcatee discovered that before his departure. Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki were signed in the attacking midfield position this summer for a combined £ 80 million, while even teenager midfielder Sverre Nypan was invested in that position for another £ 12.5 million.
For city youth such as Palmer and Mcatee, it has created a sink -or -Environment environment that only few -Phil Foden and Rico Lewis are the only Academy examples -it has succeeded in thriving in when it comes to the first team of City.
“Because this city team is so dominant and so good, even if it seems a big step higher, you can do well and survive and do good for a while,” adds Barry-Murphy.
“But then you come back or you stay there and you get established. That is the challenge of how good you are.”
But Palmer has proven that he is good enough, only elsewhere. He is not the only product of the city Academy to do that.
City let Morgan Rogers leave for Middlesbrough for just £ 1 million – then saw him moving to Aston Villa, who could have taken City's Champions League spot from them. Rogers even scored the winning goal against City in Villa Park last season.
City also allowed Liam Delap to come to Ipswich for £ 20 million last summer; He now connects with Palmer in Chelsea. Both helped to beat City Chelsea to the Club World Cup trophy this summer.
The Delap case was more understandable. He would never surpass Erling Hangand from a city animal spot during his first years.
But the cases of Palmer, Rogers and now McATee require more justification – especially seen how the club will probably have been planning to succeed Kevin De Bruyne as soon as the Belgian reached his 30s three years ago.
Some will rightly point out that the Academy of the City has been a good source to do exactly that: buying the best players in the world.
Last summer the academic sale reached the total of £ 500 million since the arrival of Guardiola in Manchester – not only because of the sale of Palmer and Co, but also the installation of substantial sale clauses, so that City would benefit from their next step. City cannot justify signing the best without selling their best.
But City's boy became notorious that Chelsea's husband became Palmer. Delap can do the same next season and add to what Rogers has already done.
There can be enormous benefits to having a solid academy, but if enough of them is not familiar, City has proven that enough of them will come back to chase you. Time will learn whether McATee is one of those players.