blake
School Cricketer
October 1, 2009
Mattfb (GK, Italy)
Club: Arsenal
League: English Premier League
Matt immediately got his career off to a great start, signing with English giants Arsenal on the 15th of July. He immediately broke into the Arsenal Under 18 squad, playing 8 games and conceding just 5 goals, alongside 2 MOTM efforts. The Arsenal Under 18 squad is looking superb already, with 4 wins from 4 matches in their league, and this might just be largely thanks to Mattfb who has played superbly. On the light of his good performances, he was recently called up into the Italy U20 squad but has remained on the bench as second choice goalkeeper so far in the tournament.
Points: 108.8
User2010 (GK, England)
Club: Valencia
League: Liga BBVA
User2010 was one of the earliest signings, being welcomed into the Valencia squad in Spain on the 11th of July. He, as well as rival goalkeeper Mattfb, immediately became the first choice goalkeeper in the youth team and he played 7 games for Valencia's Under 19 team, playing reasonably for them and conceding just 7 goals in a promising start to his career. He was called up to the England Under 20 squad for the Under 20 World Cup but remains the third choice goalkeeper in the squad behind Smithies and Gould. He still has a lot of potential though and is definitely doing well so far.
Points: 97.1
Nakul (ST, Spain)
Club: Valladolid
League: Liga BBVA
It took Nakul until August to get picked up by Valladolid, but when he came, he had immediate impact. Nakul shot into the U19 team, scoring 4 goals and providing 2 assists from just 5 matches, earning 3 MOTM awards along the way, before he was called up to the senior side to play Zaragoza. Valladolid lost 3-2, but Nakul made his mark on the team, slotting a penalty in his senior debut. It seemed the Spanish selectors were impressed as he was called up into the Spain Under 20 team for the World Cup, and he continued his stunning form with a lethal hat-trick against Venezuela in the Spain Under 20s team 5-1 victory. He wasn't finished just yet though, scoring a superb brace against Nigeria the next game in their 3-1 victory, giving him an extremely impressive start to the year. He was quickly offered a senior contract worth $1.25M AUD over 5 years, and his value has now risen to $7.5M AUD.
Points: 128.64
MaD (DC/DM/MC, England)
Club: Aberdeen
League: Scottish Premier League
MaD decided to try his luck away from the bigger leagues of England, Italy and Spain and instead followed up on a contract offer from Aberdeen, joining their team on the 30th of July. Aberdeen were in need of a key defensive midfielder who was versatile and he filled the role perfectly, slotting straight into the team, making his Scottish debut in a surprise upset in Aberdeen's 2-0 win over Celtic. He also experienced a taste of Europe, starting in Aberdeen's 3-1 aggregate win over Omonoia in the EURO Cup, as well as competing against Athletic in the EURO Cup in their 4-2 aggregate loss. He made just one appearance for the youth team but has already played 4 continental games, 5 league games and made one cup appearance.
Points: 90.36
Hedger (ST, Sweden)
Club: Kalmar FF
League: Swedish Premier Division
Immediately Hedger's hometown teams came calling, eager to see the new Swedish striker that had been touted as a future star, and it was Kalmar FF who signed the young Swede on a dismal $12,500AUD a year, as he rejected offers from Sheffield United and other Swedish clubs. He made 6 appearances in Kalmar FF's U19 team, but was highly disappointing, scoring just 1 goal at an average rating of 6.87. However, despite this, it seems that Kalmar were happy with what they saw, and called him up to the first team, which proved to be an inspired move, as he scored 3 goals in 5 games, scoring in his Swedish Premier League debut in a 2-1 loss against Elfsborg. He was dropped from the Sweden Under 21 Squad but has been recently recalled.
Points: 78.79
Covvy (ST, England)
Club: Valencia
League: Liga BBVA
Joining User2010 at Valencia was English striker Covvy, and he wasted no time making a huge impact in the Under 19 Valencia team. He scored a brace on debut for the Under 19s and followed that up with more consistent performances, scoring 5 goals and providing 2 assists from just 7 matches. He was even called up in a surprising move to the Valencia firsts squad after an injury to David Villa, but hasn't found his way on to the bench yet - still, it is a promising move. England came calling after his impressive Under 19 results, and it proved to be a good move, as he scored for the England Under 21 squad on debut against Albania in their 4-0 win. He definitely has a very bright future at Valencia and it looks like he has huge potential in the English team, already stepping up to Under 21 level, whilst most of the other competitors remain in the Under 20 team.
Points: 111.1
Ollie H (MC, England)
Club: Reading
League: Coca-Cola Championship
Many clubs came calling for the talented English midfielder, but Ollie decided he wanted to stick to his hometown and signed for Reading, in the Championship. He was put into the Under 18 team first, as usual, and had a highly impressive start to his career, becoming the playmaker of the team and providing 4 assists in just 5 matches. Reading then decided to call on Ollie, using him as a sub three times to reasonable effect, in their quest to get out of the Championship. He was selected to travel with the England Under 20s squad, but has not yet played a game for them. However, with his current Under 18 form for Reading, it surely won't be long before he finds his way into the team.
Points: 68.05
Giggity Giggity (ST, Wales)
Club: West Brom
League: Coca-Cola Championship
The promising Welsh striker decided to head to West Bromwich Albion to try his luck in the Championship, where he would compete against Ollie, and it proved to be a very successful move. He had great success in the Under 18 team, like so many of the other competitors, scoring 4 goals from 5 matches at an average rating of 7.34 to earn a call-up to the senior team, who were progressing fairly well in the Championship. He had immediate success with them as well, scoring a brace in his third senior game against Doncaster to see West Brom pick up a vital 3-1 victory, before following it up with a crucial goal against Barnsley in the 2-0 victory. This impressive form saw Wales call him up to their Under 21 team, but despite playing well he didn't score in his team's 2-2 draw against Scotland on his debut.
Points: 84.1
Treva (DC, Russia)
Things immediately went bad for Treva as he became the only person to not find a club after August 1, and as time ran out he struggled with options. Finally, he decided to sign a contract with Ukrainian Premier League team Metalist, but being just 16 years old the Russian was not allowed to move until reaching 18, and his contract move was delayed until the 1st of January, 2011. This will almost certainly see him eliminated first, with the lack of finding a suitable club. Despite this, he has burst into the Russian Under 21 team and if he plays enough matches can he possibly tally enough points to stay alive? It will take a miracle.
Points: 11.2
The Spin (ST, Switzerland)
Club: Genoa
League: Serie A
It was eventually Genoa where Chez ended up, after he very nearly signed for Young Boys, a local Swiss club which he seemed to like - but the move to Genoa did the young Swiss player well, as he featured prominently in the Genoa Under 20 team. His value immediately rose to $8M AUD - the highest in the competition, alongside Covvy, and despite not even being considered for the Genoa firsts, he made the most of his opportunity in the youth team for Genoa, scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists in 10 matches starting. He also was called up for Switzerland Under 21, coming on as a substitute in his debut and playing reasonably against Sweden, but he hasn't yet broken into the first team. A solid start to his career.
Points: 95.61
Maney2k9 (ST/ML, Ireland)
Club: Southampton
League: Coca-Cola League One
Somehow, the promising Irish striker Maney found himself scrambling late in the transfer window before he signed for floundering League One team Southampton, a dangerous move. With Southampton in big trouble, Maney was going to need to be a revelation for them. He didn't prove to be a goal-scoring machine similar to Nakul in their Under 18 team, but 2 goals and 1 assist from 7 matches, alongside some promise shown in training saw him called up to the Southampton first team, where he played 7 games, scoring just 1 goal up front. It wasn't easy going for Maney, but he fared slightly better in the cup, scoring 2 goals from 2 games. An Irish call-up awaits, but despite his slow start there is far more promise for him ahead of Southampton.
Points: 75.68
Shantanu Rooney (ST, Germany)
Club: Rostock
League: German Second Division
There have been more lucractive places to play, but for young German Shantanu Rooney, Rostock was a team to play in and impress for future clubs. Dwelling in the Second Division of Germany, it surely wouldn't be too hard for the young striker to get himself into the first team, and that's what he did - in incredible fashion. Shantanu Rooney wasted little time in the Rostock Under 19s, scoring an amazing 11 goals from just 5 games, tearing his opponents to shreds in frightening fashion, earning an Average Rating of 8.62. He was given the chance to play in the first team and scored on his debut, and he is currently in the senior team, with 2 goals from 3 games. He is already known as indispensible to the club, but surely he will want to further his career somewhere other than Rostock.
Points: 80.68
Code:
Player Team Value (AUD) Points
Nakul Valladolid $7.5M 128.64
Covvy Valencia $8M 111.1
Mattfb Arsenal $1.4M 108.8
User2010 Valencia $1.3M 97.1
The Spin Genoa $8M 95.61
MaD Aberdeen $2.5M 90.36
Giggity Giggity West Brom $3.9M 84.1
Shantanu Rooney Rostock $2.9M 80.68
Hedger Kalmar FF $1M 78.79
Maney2k9 Southampton $725K 75.68
Ollie H Reading $3.2M 68.05
Treva N/A N/A 11.2
