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24th February 2015
11:40am GMT
Hazard is obviously the jewel in the crown here, but as a team chasing silverware on multiple fronts, Chelsea have understandably maintained an experienced spine to their first XI, adding proven performers such as Diego Costa and Juan Cuadrado and electing instead to embark on the controversial strategy of buying youth in bulk, loaning it out and then either recalling it to the first-team squad or selling on for a profit. This speculative strategy has yielded a Champions League-level goalkeeper in Courtois and a capable centre-half in Zouma, but others such as Mohamed Salah are likely to be sold on at some stage. It would be impossible to list all 30 players to have gone out on loan, but a couple bear mentioning, such as former Ireland Under-21 striker Patrick Bamford, who has netted 12 times in 29 games for promotion-chasing Middlesbrough, and defender Tomas Kalas, also at Boro, who showed great composure when helping Chelsea keep a clean-sheet against title chasing Liverpool last April.
Manchester City
Eliaquim Mangala, 24 (pictured)
Dedryck Boyata, 24
# John Guidetti, 23
# Matija Nastasic, 22
Ian Lawlor, 19
Jose Pozo, 19
Jack Byrne, 19
City have an even more experienced first-team squad than their title rivals, with defender Mangala the only player on this list currently seeing regular first-team action. Nastasic was loaned out to Schalke last month to gain much-needed experience, while striker Guidetti has scored 13 times in 24 games while at Celtic this season. Pozo has been nicknamed 'mini-Messi' by some and came off the bench to score on his debut in the Capital One Cup this season, while it's such a struggle to envisage anyone else breaking into the City line-up that we'll include Lawlor and Byrne for the hell of it, as both are highly thought of members of the Ireland Under-21 set-up.
Now we're talking. Arsene Wenger has always built his Arsenal teams on youth and there is an abundance in his current set-up. Wenger's willingness to play his talented kids from a very young age may have hindered his ability to compete with more seasoned opponents, but it ensures that players reaching their prime, such as Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott (who narrowly missed the cut-off), are already vastly experienced at senior level. Wilshere's star has waned somewhat due to his frequent injury problems, but Coquelin has the makings of an excellent foil to Ramsey. Jenkinson and Sanogo are on loan to gain Premier League seasoning at West Ham, while Gunners fans are waiting patiently to see if Costa Rica World Cup hero Joel Campbell ever arrives at the Emirates. In recruitment, Wenger's policy continues to revolve around the dual pillars of young, first-team ready players like Welbeck and Paulista, and talented teenagers like Chambers, Bellerin, Gnabry and January signing Bialik.
The biggest question mark surrounding this group is whether United can hang on to goalkeeper David de Gea, whose contract expires next season and is a reported target for Real Madrid. For a team that has invested heavily to get back into the Champions League under Louis van Gaal, much of the outlay has been on young players like Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind, the latter two narrowly missing the age cut. Injury problems at Old Trafford catapulted defenders Blackett and McNair into the first-team picture ahead of schedule with reasonable results, while Wilson has shown glimpses of real potential in his cameo appearances up front. There must be some concern at the stagnation in Januzaj's progress, but the Belgian winger is still just 20 and a recent run in the team seems to signal a return to Van Gaal's good graces. Of the loanees, Michael Keane has seen plenty of action at Burnley to generally positive reviews, while Jesse Lingard's January move to Derby is seeing him get much-needed games in the heat of a promotion battle. Meanwhile, Angelo Henriquez has scored 11 times in 16 games for Dinamo Zagreb but has agreed to sign a permanent deal with the Croat club this summer.
The south coast football factory keeps churning out talent, the question is just how long that talent will remain at St Mary's. After a summer that saw top-four clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and United swoop up their most valuable players, Southampton are arguably a better side this season, with another cohort of young stars coming through at pace. Clyne has already been capped by England and is surely destined for bigger things, while Targett is the latest cab off the full-back rank and enjoying a breakthrough season. Ward-Prowse is also by now an experienced Premier League performer, while midfielder Harrison Reed is the latest academy graduate to be given his chance in the first team. Ronald Koeman has supplemented the progress of these players with savvy buys such as Wanyama and Mané, who at the very least should recoup tidy profits if later sold on.
Brendan Rodgers has not been shy about giving young players a chance and that suits the club's value-seeking American owners just fine. The Reds' transfer strategy is clear, seeking only young players who can develop and appreciate in value, with ownership putting faith in Rodgers' coaching abilities to help yield a return on their investments. Overall, Liverpool's recent transfer record has been mixed, but slightly better among younger purchases, with Can, Markovic and Moreno, and of course Coutinho (Mamadou Sakho just missed the age cut), playing key roles in the club's recent resurgence. Pool fans are also awaiting the summer arrival of Belgium striker Divock Origi with bated breath, but it is the youth team graduates who have made most headlines, with Sterling rocketing straight into the England World Cup squad and Ibe making a similarly instant impact over the past few weeks. Of the other loanees, Ilori and Alberto aren't fancied to make it at Anfield, but there are high hopes for Wisdom, who has been a regular at the heart of the West Brom defence. There are also big things expected of Rossiter, a combative midfielder who scored from 30 yards out on his debut in the Capital One Cup this season.
Much has been written about the comparable situations Tottenham and Liverpool found themselves in following the departures of Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez, and both clubs are operating similar transfer policies. Now in their second seasons Lamela and Eriksen has improved greatly on their maiden efforts, with the Dane in particular emerging as a Premier League star. The club has also invested in youth in the form of Dier, Davies, Yedlin and Alli. Yedlin has yet to play for Spurs but is firmly established in the US national team, while there was stiff competition for the signature of Alli, who has been loaned back to MK Dons. Tottenham are also reaping the rewards of boss Mauricio Pochettino's continuation of the policy of promoting youth he showed at Southampton, with Mason, Bentaleb and cult hero Kane all developing into potent first-team players.
Looking at those lists the difference between the top two and the rest is stark. City and Chelsea demand proven levels of performance and are able to fill what few gaps exist in their squad with pricey established players. On the flip side, whether through injury, lack of resources or philosophy, the chasing pack are light years ahead when it comes to young talent, and are quite frankly all the more interesting for it.Explore more on these topics:
