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Birmingham City’s proposed youth shake-up is ‘very disappointing’ says Simon Jordan, who claims academies are at the ‘heart of a functioning football club’
Simon Jordan has expressed his disappointment that Birmingham City are considering closing their academy after announcing a massive overhaul of their youth set-up.
The system has propelled the careers of stars like Jude Bellingham, Nathan Redmond and Jack Butland - all of whom have played for England's senior team. Leicester forward Demarai Gray is also a product of Birmingham's academy.
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The shock news comes just days after long-standing academy manager Kristjaan Speakman's departure was confirmed.
Speakman had been academy director for nine years at the club, but has left to become sporting director at Sunderland.
Bellingham's move to Borussia Dortmund in July saw him become the most-expensive 17-year-old in history, landing the Blues a tidy sum close to £30million.
But despite that the Championship outfit have indicated they could make fundamental changes to their academy, which could be similar to that of Brentford's current structure.
The timing of the announcement was puzzling, especially after the club recently applied to move up to Category One Academy status for the 2021/22 season
Bellingham made his feelings on the matter clear, reacting to the club's Tweet of their statement by simply with a facepalm emoji.
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And the teenage prospect isn't the only one bewildered by the news, with former Crystal Palace owner Jordan discussing the topic at length on Tuesday.
He told the White & Jordan show: "Academies are very expensive, but I was very disappointed a year ago when Huddersfield did the same thing.
"It is hard, it is expensive and some of the obligations that are put on the academies by the Football Association for the licensing are quite onerous and slightly unnecessary.
"But I believe at the heart of a functioning football club is part of its engine room is youth development and youth academy programme that brings through young players.
"In my time [at Crystal Palace] we brought through Nathaniel Clyne, Victor Moses, Wayne Routledge, Wilfried Zaha, John Bostock... and I could go on and name many other players.
"All of the players, with the exception of John, have gone on to have quite stellar Premier League careers and play for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
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"I believe that part of the parcel of the right focus to have it costs money and currently the football world is struggling, specifically outside of the Premier League after the financial impacts of COVID-19."
He continued: "It's very disappointing. No-one has got more bleeding competition than London clubs.
"I know that postal codes dictate where you can and can't take players from, but no-one had more challenges than the Palace's, Millwall's, Brentford's, Arsenal's, Tottenham's in a small catchment area.
"The argument that Birmingham are putting forward is that we are challenged by the number of clubs [around him]. And it isn't just Aston Villa doing well, West Brom are up there in the Premier League too.
"But I'm sorry but part and parcel of football is bringing young players through. Didn't they just sell Jude Bellingham for £30million?! Hasn't that paid for the academy for 15 years?
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"This is wrong. Everything about youth development in this country has been so good over the last couple of years.
"I always felt it is a sense check, it is a temperature check, it is a blueprint for how a club really looks, if it's got all its facets and all its windows - whether it's the first team, or the youth development or the marketing department.
"Every way you look at that football club has to be the best possible way to look at it. And youth development and players coming through that want to play in your first team that represent value for the club and also respect the club they're coming through is invaluable.
"And to say for a couple of million quid, which is quite frankly one and a half's players salary in the first team, that you want to get rid of an academy I think is very, very narrow-minded."
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