Scottish football’s domestic transfer market could be given a radical shake-up in a bid to provide a better pathway for its future stars.
A transition document is currently being worked on to try to increase the number of young players who make it into the first team. The Scottish Football Association published a report at the end of last season on the transition from academy to first-team football. Now SFA chief football officer Andy Gould has been working on fresh plans with clubs to try to improve pathways for Scotland’s next generation.
Record Sport understands proposals have been put forward that would allow clubs to go into cooperation agreements with other teams to loan out their younger players. Scottish Premiership clubs could have one specified side in the Championship and another in both Leagues One and Two. The move would allow each side to take a certain number of players on-loan.
The new proposals would see a lot more flexibility and players could be recalled by their parent club and even sent back out on-loan to the initial loan club even when the transfer window is closed. As it stands, clubs may be reluctant to send players out on-loan because they can’t recall them outside of the windows.
The loan clubs also wouldn’t have to pay loan fees if they have a co-operation agreement with a specified club. Another issue for clubs is there is nowhere to play between under-18 football and the first-team because there is no reserve league.
That is why Celtic and Hearts have put B teams into the Lowland League and Rangers have decided to play a number of high profile friendlies against English and European opposition. The document has also suggested increasing the academy age by another 12 months to under-19s, so youngsters would get an additional year of coaching and playing.
Many top-flight clubs have flagged up pathway issues recently and Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has held talks with the SFA over it. The concern for many top clubs is that with no reserve league there is nothing to bridge the gap from under-18s to the first-team.
England is slightly different as they have intermediate age groups before they get to the top level. That has opened the door for many English Premier League clubs to step in and headhunt some of the country’s top talent for simple training compensation.
England’s elite are now looking across the border for talent because Brexit has limited their overseas problem. That is becoming an increasing issue for all of Scotland’s Premiership clubs. The new proposals are still in the process of being finalised but would need to be voted through by the country’s senior clubs.
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