Academy Future Stars - Where Are They Now?

It seems like once a year, someone catches the eye for the u23s (usually a striker) after scoring a few goals, or making the bench for the first team, or an article coming out saying that United are interested. I convince myself they'll be score 20+ a season for us and kissing the badge within a couple of years, but every time I'm let down.

Thought it would be interesting to see where some of these names have ended up in the footballing world. These are the ones that came to mind, and how they've done this season. Feel free to add your own.

Britt Assombalonga: 5 goals in 31 league apps for Boro.
Alex Jakubiak: Scored 0 goals in 4 league apps for Dundee in the Scottish Championship.
Gavin Massey: 0 goals in 16 appearances for Wigan in League One
Connor Smith: 2 goals in 31 apps for Wealdstone in the National League
Dion Pereira: Made a few apps for Atlanta Utd in MLS, dropped to their second team, released, now warming the bench for Luton
George Byers: Lost his place in the team at Swansea, 13 apps this season on loan at Portsmouth
Bernard Mensah: 3 goals in 14 apps for Gloucester City in the National League North
Michael Folivi: 5 goals in 26 apps for Colchester in League 2

 

What happened to the bloke from Australia who was supposed to be number 1 world prospect at 14. Name was of Greek heritage I think. Would have been near start of Pozzo ownership and not brought in by them ( I don’t think).

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panos_Armenakas


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Panos Armenakas?

Apparently he's playing in Belgium. A fringe player at Zulte Waregem. Still only 22 apparently.

 

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/meet-the-aussie-teen-emerging-at-watford


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We have another one to ruin


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Sean Murray was one I thought was destined for greatness.

Lee Hodson was also a decent prospect.

I think Sunny Lo-Everton is supposed to be the highest rated of the current lot?

 

Didn’t we have one called Tom Rosenthal who was supposed to be very good? Went to the very same Belgian team that Aussie/Greek led plays for now - and is now playing in the Belgian second division.

 

This is probably mentioned elsewhere - but The Athletic/Leventhal have done a piece on how we are overhauling the academy and that Richard Thomas has been sacked...

...which has been confirmed by the club in the last few minutes.

Athletic also say that paperwork was left lying around in common areas at the training ground with the names of those kids being released before they had even been told!

 

Panos Armenakas

 

Jakubiak was the one I always thought would make it. He seemed to have pace, strength and was a good finisher. But they got him out on loan a number of times, he'd make a good first impression and then just fade away and move onto the next loan. It's sad because these kids are obviously talented but it just doesn't work out for a lot of them.

 

About the same time as Panos Armenakas there was also another Aussie being hyped in our academy - Xane Zaineddine. Seem to recall that he went to train with Atletico Madrid and had his own brand. Looks to have completely dropped off the radar and no trace of him anywhere so presume he left football completely.

Mentioned it the other day but Luke O'Nien getting in the League One team of the year is good to see. Always seemed like a really nice kid on the videos the club did and all the senior pros commented on how hard he worked. Other than that quite hard to even find ex-academy products even having semi-decent lower league careers.

 

Ross Jenkins (the second) - still only 30 but retired and first team coach at Oxford City. Lot of people seemed to really dislike him for some reason but I thought he was ok. Had a very nomadic career playing in Romania, Bulgaria, Norway and Scotland.

 

It's hard to see this ever changing while EPPP allows the truly talented ones to be poached for peanuts long before they are anywhere near the first team.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/xanez/?originalSubdomain=au

You appear to have presumed correctly.

 

Panos Armenakas ?

 

Hapax Legomenon?

 

Britt has been released by Boro as well. This is he first full season since he left is where he didn't hit double figures. Still only 28 and I suspect he'll be in demand.

 

Whatever happened to Michael Bryan and Whichelow? I think Adam Thompson has had a decent career in the lower leagues. Bond is doing well at LA Galaxy and could even play for the USA I think.

 

Both kicking around non-league, Whichelow at the better level with Kings Langley (not sure what's happened recently with Bryan but the last info I can find was he last playing for Harrow Borough). Whichelow is also currently an international for
Montserrat!

 

I wouldn't mind if we went in for him, as I don't think we should have ever let him go in the first place.

 

Just been released by a very average Championship team for being a di ckhead having scored 5 goals all season, after managing just 11 the previous. Fans are happy to see the back of him. So yeah, by all means, Gray's about to turn 30 so we need another slightly younger Deeney facsimile to be abysmal and ruin the dressing room - why not?

 

Why should we go for him? I seem to remember somebody finding one of your posts from years ago saying he wasn't good enough for us. If this is the level of player we end up with then we will go down. He's better than Gray but that's about it

 

O'Nien and Byers have done pretty well for themselves tbf.

 

Already mentioned but Sean Murray is the obvious one.

Toumani Diagouraga had a decent career in the lower leagues after leaving us.

 

I don't think I ever posted that, because I always rated him and was upset when he left, though I think he actually wanted to leave so I might have been disappointed in him.

 

John-Joe O'Toole is playing for Burton
Jonathan Bond has recently signed for LA Galaxy - looks to have played very little, if at all over the last 3 seasons
Jack Bonham is at Gillingham and is their number 1 by the looks of it.

 

What happened to that kid we had that was linked with Man Utd (I think?), he was a striker, scored a lot of goals at 'Yoof' level. Think it was something 'Obi' or 'Obo'? Might be wrong. Probably 5 or 6 years ago, possibly longer.

 

Thanks.

Clear to see a lot of these kids have the wrong mentality and have all the ability. It's usually the ones with less ability but more will that make it at a higher level. Look at Luke O'Nien and JJ O'Toole.

 

Would be a good free transfer signing for Wycombe