John Bostock

[M+D]

John Bostock is a 15yr old who currently plays for Crystal Palace and is apparently a huge talent. He is an England U16 international, trains with Palace's first team and is a regular for their U18s. He plays left midfield and judging by the videos, is best described as a pacy winger.

Starlet eyed by trio - Barca, us and Chelski:
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.clubcall.com/index.jsp?storyID=310908" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.clubcall.com/index.jsp?storyID=310908</a>

Bostock favours London/Barca invite Bostock to visit them/Chelski willing to pay compensation:
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.clubcall.com/index.jsp?storyID=310927" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.clubcall.com/index.jsp?storyID=310927</a>

Peter Taylor warns potential suitors:
<a class="postlink" href="http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0400crystalpalace/0100news/tm_headline=taylor--leave-those-kids-alone&method=full&objectid=18725215&siteid=53340-name_page.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/04 ... _page.html</a>

Bad quality video of him playing for Egland U16s:
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyKuBnYr11o" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyKuBnYr11o</a>

Bostock aged 5,6,7
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slxU3uIibDE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slxU3uIibDE</a>

A video of him when a bit older:
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHYHDfqRk6I&mode=related&search=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHYHDfqR ... ed&search=</a>

 

[jester]

YAY!

 

[Shredder]

How's his french?

 

[tactica442]

I can't bear the quality of that U16 clip. My eyes ache.

This kid appear to have silky feet. Looks left footed but can control the ball with both feet.

Nevertheless, the link of this kid to top Premsiership clubs could be just an agent talk.

 

[GUNNERS4L1FE]

He will probably cost about 10 million :wink:

 

[go49oner]

anther teenager :roll: how exciting is that. At this rate we gonna be team in transition for the next decade.

 

[otfgoon]

anther teenager :roll: how exciting is that. At this rate we gonna be team in transition for the next decade.

What a * statement.

Unless it was some kind of joke, in which case its pretty awful too.

 

[Glovegun]

Being linked to Englands best talent is always exciting. Another Theo?

 

[Buhry]

He looks good. Hope we sign him.

 

[>YounGunner<]

Hes english so he would probably cost more then Kaka.

 

[Tony Montana]

No more kids. I don't care if that's anti-Wenger or anti-Arsenal or whatever. If we are going to buy some players lets get some proven ones first and then worry about the kids.

 

[Captain]

we have an academy and a head of youth development for a reason Tony.

 

[>YounGunner<]

More kids we get the more likely we will find the "Next big thing"

The more the better i say.

However english youngsters= Overpriced and Overrated.

 

[Viper]

No more kids. I don't care if that's anti-Wenger or anti-Arsenal or whatever. If we are going to buy some players lets get some proven ones first and then worry about the kids.

Yup.

We already have an unlimited number of young players.

 

[M+D]

More kids we get the more likely we will find the "Next big thing"

The more the better i say.

However english youngsters= Overpriced and Overrated.

I'm not sure that he could be that over-rated tbh. BARCA have invited him to look at their facilities! Surely that means that he must be slightly better than the average U16 player. I mean, how many English youngsters do you know of that, at the age of 15, have been watched by Barcelona and been invited over there. Not many I'm sure!

And @ Tony - Remember, as long as the compensation isn't that expensive - and it can't be for a 15 yr old, it really doesn't make the slightest bit of difference as far as our first team transfer budget is concerned. Basically, it's a win-win situation. Even our worst youngsters fetch prices that are way more than the price which we got them for. Larsson and Stokes, for example, weren't great, they were outshone by all the others of that "generation". We got a total of £3m for them - a profit of around....wait for it....£3m!

 

[Nutsy]

We have experienced kids enough already, it's time to bring in the big boys.

 

[hoyden]

No more kids. I don't care if that's anti-Wenger or anti-Arsenal or whatever. If we are going to buy some players lets get some proven ones first and then worry about the kids.

It's not like they buy kids instead of proven players and throw them straight into the first team. They are for the youth team. He's only 15! We need to buy youngsters to keep the quality of our academy and youth team. Not every promising kids will make it here, actually very few of them can make it here. I don't think there's ever going to be "too many kids" . For the current kids we have (I mean these kids in the youth team), if one or two get regular places in the first team in the future, we should be very happy.
When you rebuild a team you will have a lot of young players in your team. It will become much harder for youngsters to break into the first team after that, I think.

 

[M+D]

No more kids. I don't care if that's anti-Wenger or anti-Arsenal or whatever. If we are going to buy some players lets get some proven ones first and then worry about the kids.

It's not like they buy kids instead of proven players and throw them straight into the first team. They are for the youth team. He's only 15! We need to buy youngsters to keep the quality of our academy and youth team. Not every promising kids will make it here, actually very few of them can make it here. I don't think there's ever going to be "too many kids" . For the current kids we have (I mean these kids in the youth team), if one or two get regular places in the first team in the future, we should be very happy.
When you rebuild a team you will have a lot of young players in your team. It will become much harder for youngsters to break into the first team after that, I think.

I would agree with that. It's like the Fran Merida/Cesc Fabregas thing. They're apparently pretty much the same player, with some even saying Merida is better at the same age because he has a shot on him. Yet Cesc got his chance at 16/17, because Vieira, Edu and co. were leaving and he was what was left. But now because Cesc is there and the rest who are also young, Merida will probably be restricted to Carling Cup games. If he had been born a few years earlier he would be in the same position as Cesc.

 

[NORTHLONDONGOONER!]

The more young players we have, the more will break through. Just because we are linked and sign alot of young players, dosen't mean we can't buy experienced players. Most young player links come from agents trying to raise the profile of there players.

 

[otfgoon]

No more kids. I don't care if that's anti-Wenger or anti-Arsenal or whatever. If we are going to buy some players lets get some proven ones first and then worry about the kids.

Yup.

We already have an unlimited number of young players.

Please point me towards the rule that says if you sign young players you cant sign established players.