Latest news with #JeremyMonga
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Ruud van Nistelrooy was treated appallingly by Leicester – Premier League legend deserved better
It is understood he was stunned by some of the resistance he encountered from players over simple things like strength and conditioning. He offered hope for the future by introducing many of the club's academy youngsters. Jeremy Monga, the 15-year-old winger, has recently signed a new contract and a big reason for that is the pathway presented to him by Van Nistelrooy. Results, however, were simply not good enough, despite improvements late in the campaign when the pressure was off. Perhaps Van Nistelrooy will flourish somewhere else, at a more stable club. He was professional to the end at Leicester, devoid of ego and always personable. Leicester are now facing an uncertain future in the Championship, with owners King Power embroiled in financial issues in Thailand. With fears over a hefty points deduction next season, it does not promise to get any easier. Leicester need to examine themselves more than anything else right now.
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Who are Leicester's returning loanees and could any be first-team solutions for them next season?
Towards the end of last season, it became increasingly clear what Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy had in mind for the team's future. Teenagers Jeremy Monga, Jake Evans and Olabade Aluko all made their debuts, with Van Nistelrooy saying he would be involving more young players in his pre-season plans. Advertisement The Dutch manager has a reputation for developing youngsters, but in light of Leicester's alleged profit and sustainability rules (PSR) breach and possible sanctions for the 2025-26 Championship, the club may need to put their faith in academy graduates. The good news on that front is that several players who emerged from Leicester's academy in the past couple of years went on loan last season, gaining first-team experience. There could also be fresh starts for returning — almost forgotten, in some cases — senior players who were also farmed out on temporary deals after being deemed surplus to requirements in the Premier League. Here, The Athletic looks at Leicester's returning loanees and their readiness to play a part in the upcoming second-tier campaign… The Scotland-born Australia international has had a rough time since joining the club in January 2023. He made 12 appearances for Leicester as they slipped out of the Premier League that season under Brendan Rodgers and interim successor Dean Smith, but just four more in the two seasons since. A loan spell at Sheffield United in the Championship last season didn't go to plan as he ruptured his Achilles tendon on Boxing Day, so was sent back to his parent club for treatment. Souttar still has three years left on his contract, but it would take a remarkable change in fortune for him to come close to spending that time with Leicester. The prospects look better for Choudhury, who ended last season out on loan, again at Sheffield United, and played in their play-off final defeat by Sunderland. Choudhury's versatility and ability at Championship level could mean he has a prominent role for Leicester in the campaign to come, especially if there is the expected clear-out of some senior, high-earning players following relegation. Having come through the club's academy, the locally-born Bangladesh international could provide much-needed leadership to Leicester's younger players, too. The England Under-20 international (pictured top) had a taste of the first team at Leicester under Enzo Maresca in the 2023-24 promotion season, making eight appearances in all competitions. At times, he was preferred to more experienced colleagues Conor Coady and Souttar, two full internationals who were substitutes as Nelson started and scored in a home defeat by Queens Park Rangers that March. Advertisement Elegant and agile on the ball, the club wanted him to gain experience, so sent him on loan to Oxford United last season in the expectation that the newly-promoted Championship side would have a fair bit of defending to do. The theory was that Nelson would learn to protect his team's penalty area and to stand up to physical, second-division strikers who could toughen the lad up. After signing in late August, he started eight consecutive league games before a November thigh injury kept him sidelined for four months, then made a further eight starts when fit again. Nelson will be involved in pre-season, so has a chance to impress Van Nistelrooy. There had been a buzz around Alves at Leicester even before he was handed his senior debut, aged 16, by Rodgers in a January 2022 FA Cup tie against Watford. A devastating knee injury suffered playing for the club's under-21 side that December jeopardised his career, and Leicester have been extremely careful in nurturing him back to fitness ever since, but a new four-year contract, which Alves signed in August, was testament to how highly they regard him. Alves went out on loan for the second half of last season at Cardiff City and was one of the bright spots of what was a desperately disappointing season that saw the Welsh side relegated from the Championship. Alves made 15 appearances, eight of them starts, and scored once, as well as supplying three assists. He will begin pre-season with the first-team squad and is expected to be involved in the warm-up friendlies. Thomas has only been with Leicester for two years, after being released by Chelsea, but was one of the young players who had their contracts extended by the club. He spent last season on loan at Wigan Athletic in League One, English football's third tier. Manager Shaun Maloney, who told Wigan's website he had been watching Thomas closely in Leicester's under-21s for 'the last 18 months', gave him 23 starts until he suffered a knee injury in February and returned to Leicester to begin rehab. The Londoner didn't score during his time there, but got three assists. Thomas can play on either wing and, although those are positions where Leicester have lots of options, will get an opportunity in pre-season. Highly regarded in the England junior pathway (he has played for his country at under-18, under-19 and under-20 level and is known as 'Leicester's Iniesta'), Braybrooke has made just one substitute appearance for Leicester's senior side and his first loan was probably overdue. James Maddison, the England international midfielder who took Braybrooke under his wing at Leicester, prospered on loan in Scotland's top flight at Aberdeen when he was 20, and it was hoped a season at Dundee in the same division would do the same for Braybrooke. 'If you look at Madders, his loan to Aberdeen was pivotal,' Tony Docherty, Dundee's manager at the time, told local newspaper The Courier last August. 'I am hoping this proves the same way with Sammy.' Advertisement However, Braybrooke made just two starts in the Scottish Premier League and returned prematurely to Leicester in January, spending the rest of the season playing in their under-21s. (He was unable to go out on loan again as he had played for Leicester in the EFL Trophy in August before leaving for Scotland, so by rule couldn't be registered by a third club in the same season.) With Leicester's squad currently packed with central midfielders — Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Wilfred Ndidi, Boubakary Soumare and Choudhury — opportunities with his parent club next season may be limited unless a lot of players depart before the September 1 transfer deadline. Marcal, who joined Leicester's academy at age 12, came to the fore two seasons ago under Maresca, when he made eight appearances, scoring once, and he signed a contract extension until 2026 in December 2023. Then, surprisingly, he was sent out on loan in August to De Graafschap, in the second tier of Dutch football, and became Leicester's forgotten man. Marcal, who was born in Leicester and is of Portuguese and Angolan descent, didn't make his De Graafschap debut until December and only appeared 15 times, scoring and assisting just once each. It is likely he will start pre-season behind several other wide options, including teenagers Monga and Evans, on Van Nistelrooy's depth chart. Cover is a versatile type who can play as a midfielder or as a right-back, and he had an interesting season out on loan. He first joined League Two side Port Vale and was due to stay with the fourth-tier club for the duration but, after 17 league starts and two goals, Leicester recalled him in January, due to concern he wouldn't get much more game time there as several senior players returned from injury. He was then farmed out to Fleetwood Town, in the same division, but only made four starts among eight appearances in the second half of the campaign, all on the right side of midfield. Regardless, Cover — who made his Leicester debut under Maresca in January 2024 and trained with the first team under Steve Cooper after he succeeded the promotion-winning Italian in the summer — was one of the young players handed contract extensions last week. Having previously been with Arsenal and Chelsea, Richards joined Leicester in 2022, and was named the club's academy player of the season after his debut year. He went out on his first loan last season at Exeter City in League One but struggled to get game time, and was recalled in January after just two starts and 200 minutes of league action. Richards finished the season playing for Leicester Under-21s in Premier League 2. Another loan seems likely. The Wales Under-21 international joined Leicester in 2021 after being released by Manchester United and made his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup at Tranmere Rovers last August, before being sent out on loan to Barrow in League Two. It wasn't a fruitful experience. Popov only made three starts and just 12 appearances in total. As with Richards, another loan is on the cards. Goalkeeper Brad Young, who was on loan at Hartlepool United in England's fifth-tier National League, defender Ben Grist, who was a division lower on the ladder with Worksop Town, Arjan Raikhy, who made three first-team appearances during Maresca's season in charge but went out on loan at Tamworth of the National League, and fellow midfielder Oliver Ewing, who had a spell at sixth-tier Buxton last season, have all been let go. (Top photo of Ben Nelson:)
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jeremy Monga's Leicester City future: Where do the club stand after 15-year-old commits to 2026 pro deal?
'Is he playing?' That question has regularly been uttered by visiting scouts inside the Sports Turf Academy building next to Leicester City's development squad pitch at Seagrave ahead of under-21 and under-18s games over the past couple of years. If Jeremy Monga's name wasn't there, many would leave. But if it was on the teamsheet, then scouts from Manchester City, Chelsea and even Real Madrid, among others, would walk, en masse, to take their seats and watch one of the most promising young talents to come out of Leicester's academy for many years. Advertisement When Ruud van Nistelrooy took over as Leicester manager in November last year, he was asked in a very early press conference if he knew of Monga, who doesn't turn 16 until next month. 'The whole world knows about Jeremy Monga,' was his reply, after pulling a surprised face that he was even asked the question. Although still a schoolboy preparing for his GCSEs, Monga was registered as an academy player and, as such, a club couldn't approach him or his family officially. Interest from other clubs was no secret and there was genuine concern he could be enticed away, but Van Nistelrooy was keen to demonstrate to Monga, who was scouted at the age of eight when he lived near to the Coventry City training ground, that there was a clear and fast pathway to senior football if he stayed at Leicester. True to his word, Van Nistelrooy gave Monga seven substitute appearances in the Premier League as Leicester's relegation fate seemed inevitable and publicly said Monga would be involved in pre-season, even though he still doesn't know if he will be Leicester's manager at the end of June. Monga became the second-youngest player ever to feature in a Premier League match, aged 15 years and 271 days. Only Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri has played in the competition at a younger age, doing so at 15 years and 181 days. He is also the second-youngest player to make a first-team appearance for Leicester behind Ashley Chambers, who was 15 years and 203 days old when he played in a League Cup tie against Blackpool in 2005. Now, after months of speculation and genuine fears their prized young talent would be lured away, Monga has committed to a one-year scholarship deal beginning on his 16th birthday, on July 10, which is set to automatically turn into a professional contract when he turns 17 in 13 months' time. So what does this all mean for Monga's Leicester future and how do contracts for young players work? Youth players cannot sign a contract or have an agent until they are 16 and have finished school. Once they are 16, they can be offered a scholarship, usually two years in length. A scholarship is essentially a pathway to the professional ranks from the academy, but a player will continue to receive an academic education alongside their football training. Advertisement The earliest a professional contract can be offered to a player is when they turn 17, and in Monga's case, there is a conditional professional deal already agreed and signed to automatically kick in when he turns 17. It means that Leicester know they are not about to lose Monga to another club, not without substantial compensation. Under FA rules, an academy player who does not accept the offer of a scholarship 'shall be at liberty after the first Saturday in June following his under-16 year to seek registration at any other club'. Effectively, if Monga hadn't agreed a scholarship with Leicester, they could have lost the winger for a relatively small amount, and in that situation, if they could not agree a compensation fee with his next club, it would have gone to a tribunal to decide the amount due. The FA regulations also state that the agreement of a standard professional contract before the completion of the scholarship is allowed, as long as the agreement between the player and club specifies the length of the contract and full details of 'remuneration and benefits payable'. The agreement will automatically kick in without the need to cancel the scholarship. Leicester have not disclosed the length of their professional contract agreement with Monga, but players under the age of 18 may not sign a professional contract for a term longer than three years. Now he is on a scholarship with a professional contract clause, no club is allowed to contact Monga or his family directly. They would need permission from Leicester to make any contact. Also, under FA rules, any public statements made by 'an official of or intermediary for a club expressing interest in an academy player whose registration is held by another club or a player with whom another club has entered into a pre-registration agreement which remains current' are not allowed. Advertisement Leicester are now in a much stronger position in terms of retaining Monga, and the only way another club can sign him now is if they make an approach to them and negotiate a transfer fee, which, considering the overwhelming opinion about the youngster's potential, means it would be extremely expensive. After a season of crushing disappointments when practically everything has gone wrong, Leicester can finally cherish some good news at last. Forward Jake Evans, who turns 17 in August, is also close to agreeing a professional deal with Leicester after stepping up to first-team level and making his debut last season. Leicester have had a history of being able to retain their youth players in the past, but in recent years, they have lost a couple of talents. Midfielder Trey Nyoni had played for the under-18s when he was still 15 and was considered a real prospect, but two seasons ago, he joined Liverpool. Leicester took the matter to a tribunal as they couldn't agree on a fee with last season's Premier League champions. Nyoni, who had spent nearly a decade in the Leicester academy, eventually joined Liverpool as a 16-year-old on scholar forms and signed his first professional contract last October. Leicester also lost promising French midfielder Tyrese Noubissie to Manchester City in 2023 when he was 14, but agreed a £1million fee for him after several clubs made approaches to Leicester. He is now aged 16 and eligible to sign scholar forms. The largest fee agreed at tribunal for a 16-year-old player in England was the £4.3million Liverpool had to pay Fulham when they signed Harvey Elliott in 2019. Elliott had rejected a scholarship contract with Fulham, leaving him free to leave, but compensation had to be set by the tribunal, and Elliott had already made his senior debut for the west Londoners. Advertisement Such deals for young players are common, and one of the most high-profile was the deal to bring Vinicius Junior, then aged 16, to Real Madrid from Flamengo in 2017. He had already made his senior debut for Flamengo and Real Madrid agreed a fee of £38million for the Brazilian, which only became effective after his 18th birthday, the minimum age for an international transfer.
Metro
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
15-year-old wonderkid snubs Chelsea transfer to stay at relegated club
One of English football's most promising young talents has turned down the chance to sign for Chelsea and Manchester City. Jeremy Monga made headlines in March when he became the second-youngest player in Premier League history, aged just 15 years and 271 days. Only Arsenal superstar Ethan Nwaneri (15 years and 181 days) was younger when he made his top-flight debut. The Leicester youngster went onto make seven Premier League appearances before the end of the season but was powerless to prevent the Foxes' relegation. Unsurprisingly, transfer interest in Monga has been huge with Chelsea and Man City among the Premier League clubs keen on signing him. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Several European giants including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich were also keen on the winger who has already captained England's U16 side. But it was announced on Monday that the teenager had snubbed all of them and would be staying at Leicester alongside eight other academy stars who had agreed new deals. 'Jeremy Monga has committed to commencing his professional career as a Leicester City player, with an agreement now in place to secure the talented teenager's future at King Power Stadium,' the club said. 'Jeremy will begin his Academy scholarship this summer with his first professional contract scheduled to commence in summer 2026.' More Trending Had Monga, who joined Leicester's Academy aged nine, left for another English club, the Foxes would only have received a small compensation fee. Speaking after his historic debut against Newcastle, Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was full of praise for Monga, saying: 'At such a young age and being the second youngest ever in the Premier League, it says something about how early he has developed. 'He has the physical capability also and the mental capability to handle this. But we have his pathway ready for him and we're going to guide him through that. 'But you could see the way he trained this week, after he made his debut, it's already lifted him and showed an even higher level, so it's going quickly really with him. 'You have to look after these players, mentally and physically. You can't go too quick too soon. But within reason, we have to make the most of it and use him as much as we can.' While a blow for the likes of Chelsea and Man City, they will no doubt be keeping tabs on the wonderkid as he continues to develop in the Championship next season. There was some good transfer news for the Blues on Monday however, as they confirmed the signing of Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club also owned by Todd Boehly. The 19-year-old defender joins in a deal worth £12million and has signed a contract until 2033. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Massimiliano Allegri makes last-ditch attempt to block Chelsea from signing transfer target MORE: Man Utd reject approach for £36.5m star but sanction major transfer exit MORE: Gary Lineker surprised Arsenal did not rival Chelsea and Man Utd for 'exciting' striker
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Leicester goalkeeper Stolarczyk extends deal
Jakub Stolarczyk made his Foxes senior league debut in the Championship against Huddersfield in August 2023 [Getty Images] Leicester City goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk has signed a one-year extension to his contract, which will now run until 2027. The 24-year-old former Poland youth international came through the Foxes academy after joining in 2019 and has made 20 appearances, including 10 in the Premier League last season. Advertisement City have also agreed new deals with eight further players, including 15-year-old Jeremy Monga. The midfielder became the second-youngest player in Premier League history when he made his debut against Newcastle United in April, aged 15 years and 271 days. Monga, who first joined the Foxes under-9s, made seven league appearances and will start an academy scholarship this summer before his first professional contract begins in the summer of 2026. Defender Olabade Aluko, 18, has signed his first professional contract after making his Premier League debut at Bournemouth on the final day of last season. Advertisement Winger Silko Thomas, 20, midfielders Bobby Amartey, 19 and Toby Onanaye, 18, and 20-year-old goalkeeper Stevie Bausor have also agreed extended deals. Leicester have also made a contract offer to 21-year-old midfielder Brandon Cover, who had loan spells with Port Vale and Fleetwood Town last season.
