So, what is all the fuss about? Does it really matter if young players move from small clubs to larger ones? If a teenager from Lens is recruited by Chelsea, why does Fifa have to investigate? The perfect illustration of why strict rules about the poaching of youngsters are desirable is provided by Charlton Athletic.
They are a side brimming with academy players who have won all six of their opening fixtures. The pick of these teenagers is Jonjo Shelvey, who has just signed a contract extension. Shelvey is arguably the next Steven Gerrard. The England Under-17 international plays a Gerrard-style free role behind the main striker and has attracted interest from, among others, Chelsea.
“We did have inquiries for Jonjo and there was a lot of interest,” Phil Parkinson, the Charlton manager, said. “I think he did very well, for a 17-year-old, to deal with that. He kept his professionalism in training, he never once came to see me and said, ‘I’d like to go.’ I’m sure he’s got an agent who was telling him there was interest out there.”
Not surprisingly, Parkinson welcomes Fifa’s hardline stance. “It can be a bit demoralising when you do all that work and one of the big clubs can just take them away,” he said.
Shelvey’s decision to stay put was no doubt helped by the fact that Charlton are winning, and winning in style. Brentford are an impressive team, high on confidence themselves, but they could not handle the sheer volume of joie de vivre thrown at them by Charlton.
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Parkinson’s side have been transformed from the dull-witted relegation fodder of last season to a team having the most enormous fun. Before their second goal, the home side enjoyed a passage of play that boasted accurate, intelligent and often daring passing.
Brentford were dizzy before Lloyd Sam scored what must be a contender for the Coca-Cola League One goal of the season. One fan exclaimed that it was the best passage of play he had seen for two years. It was probably the best for a lot longer than that.
Charlton had taken the lead after Sam Wood, the Brentford left back, misjudged a header back to his goalkeeper that allowed the sprightly Sam to nip in and feed the ball to Deon Burton. Sam is fulfilling his potential after enduring a torrid season in which he failed to score. He has three goals in two games now and appears ready to tear League One to shreds. But the real star is Shelvey.
“To have such an influence in the games at 17 says to me he’s going to be a good player and he’s got the right mentality to be a very good player.”
Christian Dailly, who at 36 provides the experience to complement all that youth, described the club as vibrant. On Saturday Alan Pardew, who lost his job as Charlton manager as the team began their descent out of the Championship, takes his Southampton side to The Valley. He will barely recognise the place.
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Charlton Athletic (4-4-1-1): R Elliot — F Richardson, M Llera, C Dailly, K Youga — L Sam (sub: L Wagstaff, 71min), T Racon, J Semedo, N Bailey — J Shelvey (sub: I McLeod, 82) — D Burton. Substitutes not used: D Randolph, M Spring, S Sodje, C Solly, T Tuna.
Brentford (4-4-2): L Price — D Foster (sub: K Osborne, 66), J Wilson, M Phillips, S Wood — C Taylor (sub: C MacDonald, 66), D Hunt, K O’Connor, S Saunders — M Weston, C Cort. Substitutes not used: N Bull, M Bean, S Kabba, R Blake, L Legge. Booked: O’Connor, Taylor.
Referee: J Linnington. Attendance: 16,399.