Many cite the reason for the high amount of overseas players flocking to the Premiership as cost. It is a lot cheaper for a lower half team such as Wigan to bring in players instead of developing them in their academy. After all, even if one player graduates from the youth team to the first team, there will still be a large group of players that don't make it that the club has spent money on that will just be released and ply their trade lower down in the Football League. Training and development of young players come at a large price for most teams outside what has now become the top seven teams.
When John Bostock moved to Tottenham Hotspur from Crystal Palace a row ensued over the compensation that should be paid. In the end it was decided that Tottenham would pay £700,000 upfront, up to £1.25m depending on first team appearences, £200,000 after he made his full international debut for England and a 15% sell-on clause of any profit Tottenham make on his transfer.
A promising young attacking midfielder, Bostock got his move to Tottenham after just four appearances for Crystal Palace in 2008. Having made three appearances for Spurs in the UEFA Cup, Bostock then went on loan to Brentford for the 2009/2010 season where he made 10 appearances in total and scored twice, both coming in the same game. Many would say this was good for Bostock to go out on loan and get this experience of first team football. But has this in reality hindered his progress as a developing young footballer?
The coaching and the facilities available to him at Brentford would be nowhere near as good as those at his parent club Tottenham. Brentford are not known for bringing on young players and then selling them on to Premiership clubs. Bostock would have fairer much better if he would have stayed at Tottenham and trained using much better facilities and being around much better players. Spurs not only have great coaching staff and a manager who has a knack of getting the very best out of his players, but the experience and skill of other midfielders such as Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar would be a benefit to surround Bostock in so that not only could some of their talent rub off on him, but so that he would also be used to coming up against tougher opposition, even just in training matches, than he would be playing at Brentford.
At just 18, Bostock has a lot of time still to develop. He captained England's Under 17 side in 2009 and has also recently been in England's Under 19 European Championship squad, starting the first game against Austria and an unused sub against Holland. He has another year at this level until he has to make the step up to Under 21 football.
John Bostock could be one of the key players in England's future. With players like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard reaching the peaks of their careers, we now have to start looking ahead to who can step forward and replace these players in the not too distant future. If Harry Redknapp kept him at Spurs instead of loaning him out to lower league sides, Bostock has a great chance of becoming a future England star. Just by giving him a few sub appearances and keeping him in the first team mix, Bostock will develop by leaps and bounds. An attacking player with flair, there is a lot he can learn not only from a manager with great experience, but also playing with and against some of the best players in Europe. If constantly loaned out, Bostock may - become just another Michael Woods or Tom Taiwo - a promising young player who had bags of potential but never stood a chance. Lets hope for the sake of his career and the future of England, Tottenham and Bostock make the right moves.
