#1 ·
I was watching some old match highlights last night and it got me thinking about how much the mentality around squad depth has shifted. It feels like every major club is now obsessed with finding the next teenage phenom or a high-priced superstar to sit on the bench, rather than valuing the steady, experienced hands who just show up and do their job when things go sideways.
There’s a certain art to being the reliable veteran. You aren't there to grab the headlines or demand a massive weekly wage; you're there to provide stability and mentor the younger guys. But lately, it seems like clubs are more interested in "potential" and "resale value" than actual, proven reliability. It feels like a gamble to go for someone who has seen it all when you can just buy a 19-year-old and hope for the best.
Do you think teams are overvaluing youth at the expense of having a solid, dependable veteran in the room, or is the "high-ceiling" gamble just the way the game works now?
There’s a certain art to being the reliable veteran. You aren't there to grab the headlines or demand a massive weekly wage; you're there to provide stability and mentor the younger guys. But lately, it seems like clubs are more interested in "potential" and "resale value" than actual, proven reliability. It feels like a gamble to go for someone who has seen it all when you can just buy a 19-year-old and hope for the best.
Do you think teams are overvaluing youth at the expense of having a solid, dependable veteran in the room, or is the "high-ceiling" gamble just the way the game works now?