Leon King draws major transfer interest

[Ace 3,556]

The 15-year-old Ibrox academy star has been turning heads at youth level and had already played with the club's U20 side.

Emerging Rangers star Leon King is being watched by a clutch of Europe's top sides - according to a report.

The 15-year-old Ibrox academy star has been turning heads at youth level and had already played with the club's U20 side.

And his impressive displays have led to interest from the likes of Liverpool , Chelsea and RB Leipzig. The English pair are believed to have watched him in person during last month's development loss to Carlisle, according to The Athletic .

The central defender turns 16 in January and cannot sign his first professional contract until then.

King is highly regarded and partnered former celtic star Liam Morrison, who earned a summer move to Bayern Munich, in the heart of Scotland's U17 defence last month.

His meteoric rise bears a resemblance to Billy Gilmour 's accelerated Ibrox push before his move to Chelsea in the summer of 2017.

The former Rangers youth standout has played three times for the senior side and the 18-year-old started against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup. 

U20s boss Graeme Murty is a big fan of King and included him on the bench for their UEFA Youth League win over Slovan Bratislava on Wedesday.

He said: “He’s someone who is getting a lot of press now because he’s quite young but he’s there on merit. We don’t hesitate in pushing them forward if we think we can extend their learning and that’s what it’s about. It’s about making sure that Leon is challenged to the right level.

“There will be a time that he drops to his own age and we expect him to be the best player on the pitch, regardless of who else is on it. And there will be a time when he plays a couple of years up and we expect it to be a struggle for him.

“And then if we throw him into a game like this (UEFA Youth League) and really make him struggle, that’s where his development will accelerate the fastest. We just need to make sure we’re mindful of his age and we do it at the right time.”

https://www.BOYCOTT THIS LINK/sport/football/football-transfer-news/Rangers-rising-star-leon-king-20845875

[Ace 3,556]

Hopefully the kid looks at his prospects at RFC as a better chance of development than chasing cash 

[Redwhiteandblue 3,330]

There must be something we can do to keep these kids here. I know Billy Gilmour is looking like he's not just going to end up on the scrap heap at 21, but look at that boy the taigs had. Feruz, or whatever it is. 

Guys need to try make it here first before trying to make it in the hardest league in the world to break into a team.

[Gman36 3,455]

Be a shiter if he pisses off before signing a contract with us. Hopefully he sees the value on staying with us. 

[MurrayWilson 3,381]

The difference between him and billy gilmours situation is we are in far better nick as a football club. At the time Gilmour left pedro was manager and we were going nowhere fast. No wonder he left to be honest.  It is grim though the way the likes of Chelsea etc just hoover up all the top talent even at that age. I suppose we do the same to others lower down the financial pecking order and its just the way of the world.

[j1mgg 3,766]

It is very disappointing that we are getting guys playing ahead of their years, but then lose them for a pittance at 16.

End of the day, we can't pay wages on the chance someone might come good, where as clubs around the world can do this with tens of guys on the chance one might make it.

[KeyserSoze 14,531]

59 minutes ago, Ace said:

Hopefully the kid looks at his prospects at RFC as a better chance of development than chasing cash 

Never going to happen. They want fast cars and unicorns before developing themselves as a football pro

 

fingers crossed though

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,775]

6 minutes ago, KeyserSoze said:

Never going to happen. They want fast cars and unicorns before developing themselves as a football pro

 

fingers crossed though

It’s not just about the money though. Most of the elite clubs pump more money into coaching and facilities for their youth teams than clubs do on their entire structure from first team level and down which means they are learning in abetter setup than they would at most clubs.

[BookWorm 4,123]

Get him signed up.

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,775]

It’s pretty shite how it works in the sense that a club can have a youngster coming through who is potentially gaping to be an important player for them and could earn them a lot of money further down the line and then an elite club can just swoop in, take them for next to nothing and then dump them in their already overloaded youth academy. It’s dog eat dog and we do it to clubs further down than pyramid to ourselves, but it’s a bit of a joke really and something you think UEFA would look at.

[TMB 14,167]

1 hour ago, MurrayWilson said:

The difference between him and billy gilmours situation is we are in far better nick as a football club. 

He'll join whatever club offers him the most money.  After Gilmour left Kirkwood said - "It's difficult to compete with English Premiership wages".  These EPL clubs pay their youth plays tens of thousands in some instances.  There's no way we can compete with that.  

[TMB 14,167]

21 minutes ago, DBBTB said:

It’s pretty shite how it works in the sense that a club can have a youngster coming through who is potentially gaping to be an important player for them and could earn them a lot of money further down the line and then an elite club can just swoop in, take them for next to nothing and then dump them in their already overloaded youth academy. It’s dog eat dog and we do it to clubs further down than pyramid to ourselves, but it’s a bit of a joke really and something you think UEFA would look at.

It is a joke.  But we done it to Charlton with Aribo.  It works both ways.

[stevemac 5,000]

4 minutes ago, TMB said:

It is a joke.  But we done it to Charlton with Aribo.  It works both ways.

Kamara as well (certainly had more exposure and a bit older but still) 50k was a steal.

[TMB 14,167]

4 minutes ago, stevemac said:

Kamara as well (certainly had more exposure and a bit older but still) 50k was a steal.

Kamara was a different situation as he had already signed a precontract with us and the £50k was a token sum to get him here a few months early.  

Had Aribo joined another team down South Charlton would've been entitled to a very large developmental compensation fee.  It would've been millions.  We exploited the cross boarder loophole to get him for just £300k.  celtic did the exact same thing with Dembele.   It's something we should be doing more often in all honesty.

[j1mgg 3,766]

55 minutes ago, TMB said:

It is a joke.  But we done it to Charlton with Aribo.  It works both ways.

I am pretty sure we didn't, he was already a professional who didn't want to sign a new contract.

A youth can't sign a professional contract.

[GOAT 30,449]

1 hour ago, TMB said:

It is a joke.  But we done it to Charlton with Aribo.  It works both ways.

Aribo’s contract ran out, he wasn’t a 15 year old youth player that couldn’t sign a contract. 

[Ger_onimo 20,488]

1 hour ago, DBBTB said:

It’s not just about the money though. Most of the elite clubs pump more money into coaching and facilities for their youth teams than clubs do on their entire structure from first team level and down which means they are learning in abetter setup than they would at most clubs.

Exactly. From the player’s point of view, the facilities and coaching at a club like Liverpool from the age of 16 to 19 might be the difference between making it and not. It’s shite, but you can’t really blame the player.

[bennyali 248]

I wish he stays here and we get megabucks for him but if he goes to a place like Chelsea and makes it, he would have no worries for the rest of his day's. Hakuna matata

[tannerall 25,935]

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,540]

4 hours ago, MurrayWilson said:

The difference between him and billy gilmours situation is we are in far better nick as a football club. At the time Gilmour left pedro was manager and we were going nowhere fast. No wonder he left to be honest.  It is grim though the way the likes of Chelsea etc just hoover up all the top talent even at that age. I suppose we do the same to others lower down the financial pecking order and its just the way of the world.

I think being in a better nick can make it worse youth wise, had this boy broke through a while ago he had a chance like bates etc to be a youngster in the first team

But look at the 4 centre halves we have the now, the chances of this boy breaking through in the next 3-4 years are probably slim to none if we are being honest

[Blueteeth 2,185]

4 hours ago, DBBTB said:

It’s pretty shite how it works in the sense that a club can have a youngster coming through who is potentially gaping to be an important player for them and could earn them a lot of money further down the line and then an elite club can just swoop in, take them for next to nothing and then dump them in their already overloaded youth academy. It’s dog eat dog and we do it to clubs further down than pyramid to ourselves, but it’s a bit of a joke really and something you think UEFA would look at.

They'll not want to upset the elite clubs by changing things now. I don't even know how you'd be able to do it unless you had some kind of graded development fee which is graded and active in the next maybe two sales of the player.

It's shite that perhaps a club has put all its money into development, which will usually contribute to a stronger national side down the line, and then gets almost nothing back for its hard work. 

[ManchestGer 347]

1 hour ago, Blueteeth said:

They'll not want to upset the elite clubs by changing things now. I don't even know how you'd be able to do it unless you had some kind of graded development fee which is graded and active in the next maybe two sales of the player.

It's shite that perhaps a club has put all its money into development, which will usually contribute to a stronger national side down the line, and then gets almost nothing back for its hard work. 

Could possibly make it a requirement to add a huge sell on percentage due to the years of development they’ve had throughout their youth career. 

[Blueshoff 11,799]

3 hours ago, tannerall said:

Hakuna matata

[eskbankloyal 19,446]

6 hours ago, TMB said:

He'll join whatever club offers him the most money.  After Gilmour left Kirkwood said - "It's difficult to compete with English Premiership wages".  These EPL clubs pay their youth plays tens of thousands in some instances.  There's no way we can compete with that.  

Gilmour got more joining Chelsea than anybody in our first team at the time was earning. 

[SwallowsHisOwnSpunk 7,798]

8 hours ago, Jimbeamjunior said:

I think being in a better nick can make it worse youth wise, had this boy broke through a while ago he had a chance like bates etc to be a youngster in the first team

But look at the 4 centre halves we have the now, the chances of this boy breaking through in the next 3-4 years are probably slim to none if we are being honest

Well look at the players ahead of Gilmour at centre Midfielder for Chelsea...

Kante, Jorginho, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic & Mount

Yet Gilmour is still getting his chance to impress at just 18 years old, If the boy is good enough there should be absolutely no reason he shouldn’t be displacing more experienced players.

Although obviously at 15 he’s probably a few of years away.