Top Stories from “Jaidon Anthony on Burnley’s return to the Premier League, Milos Kerkez’s move & academy system”
Key themes and insights of the provided interview excerpts with footballer Jaidon Anthony and agent Godfrey can be found in the accompanying briefing document. The conversation includes debate over the trials and tribulations of football academies, what players and agents go through during transfer windows, and what lies ahead in the upcoming Premier League season for Burnley.
- Football Academies and Their Relevance
The interview emphasises the importance of the football academy in shaping young talent, but also touches on the implausible emotional and professional difficulties that engulf the player once trying to make it in any capacity, and especially at the young age of players cast adrift by big clubs – when their next meal is a potential pressure point.
Why Godfrey set up AG Football Academy: Godfrey, a former Chelsea academy player who was released at 16/17, set up AG Football Academy 14 years ago – wanting to “help young players get opportunities.” “I’d always wanted to try to do something that could help young players get exposure to pro clubs,” he says. The academy hopes to be a lifeline for players who would otherwise get lost in the system.
Jaidon Anthony Experience: Anthony had been at Arsenal since age six before being released by the club at 16. He says this is a “tough time” and a “reality check”, and feels his “dream of making it as a footballer is over by then. This highlights the massive mental obstacle young footballers have to overcome when they are let go.
The Second Chance Academy: Godfrey’s academy was an important stepping stone in the career of Anthony, giving him trials that led to him signing for Bournemouth. “I was very grateful that I could bounce back,” Anthony says. For Godfrey, Anthony’s success is an “indelible thing” about the academy’s reach and reflects the pride to “see [Anthony] doing well and and and growing and um and aspiring to be more.”
Talent That Goes Beyond The Elite Academies: Addressing Anthony, Godfrey says, “You’re a shining example… of what talent’s out their gets released from these academies.” This raises the concept that there are many good players that will potentially not come through the elite academy system through “different dynamics”, the report said.
Academy highlights: Anthony holds the memory of being coached by Thierry Henry on a day release at Arsenal as “a fantastic experience” and “it’s something that I still remember to this day”, highlighting the different ways young players can learn at the top clubs.
- Transfer Window Momentum
The conversation provides an insight into the high-pressure and difficult-to-predict landscape of the transfer market from the point of view of the agent and player.
Agent’s View (Godfrey) Godfrey confesses the transfer window for his agency is “immense pressure” and “definitely a difficult period” with players frequently “in difficult situations” and looking for a way up in the world. But he also embraces it as “part of what you do.” He refers to proactive steps such as contract renewals and showcase events for out-of-contract players, to “try and find different ways to help people.”
Deadline Day intensity: Godfrey and Anthony both share a previous transfer which occurred “literally last minute of the window or even over.” Godfrey says that “there’s a lot of pressure, a lot of phone calls, communication — wanting to just you know, [to] come out on the right end of it.”
Player’s Perspective (Jaidon Anthony): Anthony discusses the anxiety felt by the players when a deal, “is going down to the wire and you don’t know where you’re going to be playing or or even living. He had a “very last minute” relocation where he “didn’t know about it until the day,” but said players “adapt to it I suppose”.
- Burnley’s top-flight return and team dynamics
In the final part of the interview, Anthony offers an insight into how Burnley feels about returning to the Premier League after a very good season in the Championship.
EXCITEMENT AND CHALLENGE: Anthony says “everything’s up,” everyone is “excited” “excited” to be back in “the best league in the world”. But he admits “it’s going to be tough,” not least with Spurs as their opening opponents.
Belief Against The History Books: With the recent trend of promoted side’s going ‘straight back down’, Anthony has a lot of belief in Burnley’s chances, “we really [do have that belief] we do… we have a good strong group a good strong core and um yea great manager and staff”.
Scott Parker’s Management Style: Anthony has good things to say about newly reunited manager Scott Parker, who he says can be “very demanding” but gets the job done. “I think you kind of know what he does and what he is going to get from me as w, so we’ve we’ve worked well together and had some success together as well,” he said.
Key Player Contributions: Milos Kerkez: LiverpoolThe former Bournemouth player is a “nutter” says Anthony of his former team-mate, so “crazy and… never stopping running”. He is “a good fit for Liverpool”, he insists, since “that’s that sort of Liverpool style”.
Ashley Barnes: Anthony speaks highly of Barnes, whom he describes as “probably one of the best people I’ve met in football” and says his arrival in January has brought an instant positive dynamic. Re-signing Barnes was a “huge for us, not only off the field but on it, he sets the standard in training,” according to Evans.