Everton’s head of academy has spoken about how he believes the club’s youth set-up is now the biggest in England.
Everton’s youth system has been heralded for years as being great, continually producing top youngsters that go on to have successful careers in the game. With that in mind it is no surprise that the Head of Academy at the club believes it is now the biggest youth setup in the country, as reported by Liverpool Echo.
Martin Waldron has overseen a lot of changes at Goodison Park, having been at the club in a full-time role since 1998. After years of growth, Everton now have over 300 talent spotters on their books who are all looking to bring the next big star to Merseyside.
“It’s a huge operation now and, in terms of scouts, we’re probably the biggest in the country,” Waldron told the Echo.
“Locally, we have around 235 scouts who cover the North West within an hour’s radius of here.
“Nationally, we’ve got 90 professional scouts who go around all of the professional clubs around the country and report back to us.”
Waldron actually used to manage Everton defender Leighton Baines when he played for youth team Key Ways Football Club, showing just what kind of talent can be discovered within the system.
Among all of the talent that has come through Goodison Park there are a few that stand out, with the likes of Ross Barkley and Wayne Rooney being big highlights, with both players continuing to star on the Premier League stage to this day.
The list goes on from there and who knows what name will be making the headlines in five years’ time. With such an extensive search going on to bring the world’s best youngsters to the club, the future is certainly looking bright for the Toffees.
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