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Sam Tighe
Multiple Authors
Not every promising young player experiences a direct journey from the academy to the first team, as seen with talents like Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé. Many face a more circuitous path, transferring between clubs in pursuit of that crucial breakthrough. Even elite players are occasionally released from academies early on, only to excel in different environments.
These transitions can be quite complex, particularly for teenagers or younger players, as numerous variables can impact their journeys. Young athletes may navigate different academies due to family relocations, and later face increased competition for spots. This prompts many to explore opportunities for first-team action elsewhere.
Looking back, it’s easy to ponder the “what could have been” scenarios, often leading to surprises about former players’ affiliations.
While some clubs, like Manchester United and Liverpool, are known for retaining promising youth talents, many others have let players slip away. Here’s a look at some who departed from major European clubs—some cases due to circumstance and others remembered as significant oversights.
Arsenal boasts a storied legacy of fostering talent from their Hale End Academy to the senior squad. This legacy has been exemplified by icons such as Tony Adams and Ray Parlour, while the current crop, featuring Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, and Max Dowman, hints at continued success.
Nonetheless, a few have been overlooked. For instance, Serge Gnabry joined Arsenal at 16, made limited contributions, and then thrived at Bayern Munich. Some, like nine-year-old Harry Kane, had their potential go unrecognized from an early age.
Eberechi Eze
Arsenal player Eze spent five years in their academy before being released at 13. He faced further setbacks at Fulham, Reading, and Millwall before finally getting a chance at Queens Park Rangers. After five successful seasons at Crystal Palace, he re-joined Arsenal in a £60 million transfer last summer.
Andy Cole
Cole is celebrated as one of England’s finest forwards and was pivotal in Manchester United’s historic 1999 treble-winning team. However, his football journey commenced at Arsenal’s academy, where he made only one first-team appearance before being loaned to Bristol City.
This meant Arsenal missed out on all of his remarkable 187 Premier League goals.
Atletico Madrid’s academy is renowned for producing top-tier midfielders. Players like Koke, Gabi, and Saúl Ñíguez have all played pivotal roles in the team’s success. Notably, Liverpool legend Fernando Torres is also a product of this academy.
However, one of their finest midfield prospects left without signing a professional contract, and it might not even be their biggest academy miss.
Rodri
The 2024 Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder was at Atlético for six years before being cut at 16 due to concerns over his physicality. He eventually found his way to Villarreal, where he progressed to first team stardom.
Rodri returned to Atlético in 2018 for €25 million, but after just one season, Manchester City swooped in. He has since secured numerous major titles, including four Premier Leagues, the Champions League, and the Euro 2024 championship with Spain.
Raúl González
As one of Real Madrid‘s iconic academy products, Raúl remains the club’s all-time appearance leader and second-highest scorer.
Notably, he nearly didn’t join the academy at all, as he spent two years at Atlético Madrid, but left when they temporarily closed their youth program in 1992 to reduce costs. A significant oversight.
La Masia is often touted as the most prestigious football academy globally, famous for producing stars like Lionel Messi and Yamal. Many other high-profile academy talents have sought other paths to first-team football as well, including Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué.
Yet, some players departed with little notice, only to flourish later.
Mauro Icardi
Barcelona competed fiercely to sign Icardi at age 15. However, despite spending three years in their academy, he never broke into the first team. Upon joining Sampdoria in 2011, he had yet to make a single appearance for Barcelona.
His rise through the ranks to prominence in European football was rapid. Within two years, he made the leap to Inter Milan, where he netted 124 goals across 219 appearances before moving to Paris Saint-Germain and later Galatasaray.
Marc Cucurella
Cucurella, while not fitting the typical profile of a Barcelona player, still spent four years at La Masia. He had brief spells of first-team football on loan with Eibar and Getafe but ultimately didn’t return, likely because Jordi Alba had firmly secured the left-back position.
Like many others mentioned here, recent reports in Spain have connected Cucurella with a nostalgic return to his roots.
Traditionally, breaking into Bayern’s first team has been a monumental challenge due to the high standards set and their knack for acquiring top emerging talents from other clubs, leaving little room for homegrown players. Nevertheless, there is at least one player they likely wish had remained.
Mats Hummels
Hummels dedicated 11 years to Bayern’s youth system but made just one first-team appearance on the final day of the 2006-07 season against Mainz, who were then managed by Jürgen Klopp.
In 2008, he moved to Borussia Dortmund on loan, later sealing a permanent move. This decision proved costly for Bayern, as Hummels became a key player for Dortmund, participating in over 200 matches, including the 2012-13 Champions League final against Bayern.
Despite Bayern’s victory in that final, they ultimately re-signed Hummels in 2016 for €35 million.
In recent years, Chelsea’s academy has been a powerhouse in youth competitions, churning out a wide array of impressive talent. While players like Reece James and Mason Mount have seamlessly transitioned to the senior squad, numerous others have unfortunately slipped through the cracks.
Michael Olise
Olise’s journey saw him pass through three key English academies, including Arsenal and Manchester City, before finding a home at Reading.
He spent the longest period at Chelsea (seven years) and left at the age of 14. Like Eze, Olise made a significant impact in the Championship before moving to Crystal Palace, where they starred together. In 2023, Chelsea triggered a clause in his Palace contract to sign him for £35 million, but he opted for Bayern instead, quickly establishing himself as a highly sought-after winger.
Declan Rice
Rice also spent seven years at Chelsea’s academy before being released at 14. He later joined West Ham United, where he eventually captained the team and lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy in 2023.
Following his time at West Ham, Frank Lampard, a Chelsea legend and former academy graduate, sought to bring him back to Chelsea in 2023. Instead, Rice moved to Arsenal for an initial £100 million and is now on the brink of winning a Premier League title.
Jamal Musiala
Musiala, who was born in Stuttgart, relocated to England at the age of seven and dedicated nine years to Chelsea’s academy. When he moved back to Germany at 16, it marked the beginning of his journey becoming one of the globe’s top midfielders at Bayern Munich, rather than Chelsea.
Marc Guéhi
Guéhi spent 12 years in Chelsea’s academy and was a consistent winner and leader in youth competitions. However, he struggled to break into the first team and, after a loan spell at Swansea City, transferred to Crystal Palace in 2018 for £18 million.
After his move, he quickly became a starter for Manchester City and is now an integral part of the England squad ahead of the summer World Cup.
A number of high-profile players have transitioned through the City academy over the past decade, with many leaving to support the club’s significant transfer spending—with Cole Palmer’s £42.5 million transfer to Chelsea being a notable example. However, several others have departed without much fanfare.
Brahim Díaz
Díaz spent the majority of his youth career at Málaga before joining City at 15, where he excelled in the youth setup.
However, he only made 15 first-team appearances before moving to Real Madrid in 2019 for €15 million, subsequently spending three seasons on loan at AC Milan before becoming a mainstay at Madrid.
Jeremie Frimpong
Liverpool’s wing-back Frimpong spent nine years in the City setup but never featured for the first team.
He joined Celtic at 18 in 2019 for a mere £300,000—a price that appears to be a bargain in retrospect—and after two years, he transitioned to Bayer Leverkusen, where he played a crucial role in an undefeated season that culminated in a Bundesliga and German Cup title victory in 2024. This then led to a €35 million transfer to Liverpool to take the place of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
These days, seeing academy graduates break into the first team at PSG is increasingly common—Warren Zaïre-Emery is leading that charge—but it historically hasn’t been easy, leading to a stream of departures and some untapped potential.
Kingsley Coman
Coman openly expressed frustration regarding his lack of opportunities in Paris, suggesting young talents were often overlooked. After just four first-team appearances, he departed at the end of his contract to sign with Juventus.
He later enjoyed nine successful seasons at Bayern, culminating in a Champions League win against—once again—PSG. Now, Coman plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr.
Ferland Mendy
Real Madrid signed Mendy from Lyon for an initial fee of €48 million, after he shone as one of the best left-backs. For PSG, it must have been difficult to watch, as he had spent eight years in their academy but faced setbacks due to a serious hip injury.
Eventually, after two years, he landed at Lyon via Le Havre, where he had spent two years in youth football before graduating.
While Barcelona’s La Masia may capture the spotlight, Real Madrid’s La Fábrica (The Factory) has also produced outstanding talents over the years, including legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas and six-time Champions League winning right back Dani Carvajal. Yet, like their counterparts at other elite clubs, even the cream of their youth teams can sometimes slip through the cracks.
Achraf Hakimi
Hakimi, born in Madrid to Moroccan parents, spent more than 10 years in Real Madrid’s youth system. However, after an impressive two-year loan at Dortmund, he returned to find that Carvajal’s presence blocked his path to the starting role, prompting a €40 million transfer to Inter Milan.
Since then, Hakimi has joined PSG, won the Champions League, and earned recognition in the FIFPRO World XI on two occasions.
Samuel Eto’o
Real Madrid discovered an extraordinary talent in Eto’o, recruiting him from a Cameroonian academy at age 15. However, they never capitalized on their find, as he only made seven appearances for the club before leaving for Mallorca, where he had previously been on loan.
This decision proved monumental, as Eto’o later joined Barcelona in 2004, winning the Champions League three times over six years—twice with Barça and once with Inter Milan—ultimately establishing himself as one of Africa’s greatest footballers.
Tottenham’s academy played a crucial role in their journey to the 2019 Champions League final, with graduates like Harry Kane and Harry Winks laying the foundation. However, since then, few have successfully made similar strides. The club’s aggressive recruitment of top teenage talent from across Europe—like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Luka Vuskovic, and Mathys Tel—may have impacted this trend.
Noni Madueke
Madueke stood out at Spurs’ academy for four years, serving as captain and consistently playing above his age group. When it was time to advance his professional career, he chose to move to the Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in 2019.
His time in Eindhoven led to increased playing opportunities, goals, and assists, which attracted Chelsea, who paid £28.5 million for him in 2021. Two years later, after winning a UEFA Conference League title and a Club World Cup, he joined Arsenal for £48 million.