Signing young talent is big business in football these days, with clubs up and down the divisions keen to recruit young players as early as possible as they look to the future.
That strategy has become particularly crucial for clubs outside the top division, who cannot afford to compete with the money floating around at the height of the game.
Leeds United are a club that have always had a strong history of focusing on youth, with many of their youth products going on to have impressive careers.
It’s a policy they maintain to this day, with Jack Clarke, who this summer completed a £9.9m switch to Tottenham Hotspur, the latest to benefit.
He made his debut last summer at just 17-years-old, having initially joined Leeds United’s youth ranks as a youngster.
“I have grown up in Seville with a teacher like Monchi, who changed the club,” he told the World Football Summit, relayed by La Vanguardia.
“The big difference in modern football is information, everyone has it, and the important thing is to transform it into useful knowledge for the club.”
Orta then said “there should not be a ceiling in the scouting department” and if they are scouting a 16-year-old “it’s perhaps too late”, which gives an idea of how long term Leeds United are looking.
“One of the keys is that bigger clubs decide quickly, smaller ones don’t. Sometimes it’s better to go to small clubs to get players and train them,” he added.
