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The summer transfer window is now closed and inevitably it has involved many Welsh players making either a temporary or permanent move to satisfy the needs of various clubs. In plenty of cases it has been a positive move where it is anticipated that the experience will be a progressive step in their careers. Birmingham City’s relegation from the Championship last season created immediate speculation that midfielder Jordan James (2004) would not remain a part of the midlands club playing staff as they regrouped and negotiated a means of instant return to second tier football. The club had resisted a reported interest from Italian Serie A clubs in the January window and it was eventually Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais FC who offered the Blues a satisfactory fee to complete the deal. Now regarded a mainstay in the senior side, Jordan made an instant impact with Wales fans upon his introduction into the team and, is considered the stand out at present, of the young players who are on the cusp providing a possible very bright future for Welsh international football. Although accepted as not being a rival to the Premier League, the top division in French football is still high quality competition, one that can be attributed to being a very important development step to a plethora of players who are accepted as being amongst the elite in their profession. It is going to be a formidable challenge for Jordan to establish himself against his new opponents, but one based on past evidence there is abundant confidence he can flourish in, his refined talents then exhibited in the presence of The Red Wall and contributing reasons for joyous celebrations by Welsh fans.

Fin Stevens (2003) is another young gun who is getting his first experience of playing football in a foreign land this season. German side FC St Pauli, newly promoted to the Bundesliga negotiated his transfer from Brentford in late July. It ends his four year association with the London club, who had signed him from Worthing, having impressed their scouts when playing men’s football as a sixteen year old. Last season was spent on loan at Oxford United for whom he made more than forty appearances and helped them be promoted to the Championship. He made his debut when selected for the first match of the season, an opening round DFB-Pokal (German Cup) tie against second tier opposition, was on the bench for their opening match of the new Bundesliga season but not involved in their latest game. Fin will get an opportunity, and hopefully can establish himself as a regular in the team. Succeeding in doing so would be a good achievement, enhance his experience and likely propel his career in a continuing positive development phase. Capped at U-21 level a few months after joining Brentford, he has made almost a dozen and a half appearances and counting. Selected for senior squad for their games at the end of last season, two full caps are now in his possession as well.

Starting out with Tranmere Rovers for a few seasons and then moving on into the Liverpool academy system as an eleven year old, forward Lewis Koumas (2005) has been on an exponential journey in quality of opposing defenders competing against him over the last three seasons. Quickly elevated from U-18 to U-21 competition, he immediately demonstrated that he excelled in this new challenge and so it was of little surprise that incorporation into first team training scenarios became frequent last season. After some occasions on the bench, he made his first team debut in the spring of this year and duly converted it into a goal scoring occasion. Out of many who desired to recruit his services, Stoke City were the successful bidders when reaching an agreement to have him assist them on loan this season. In the short period he has been at the club, he’s already excited their fans by not only scoring but also providing overall performances that has elevated the team’s capability. In the second round Carabao Cup tie, he made a significant contribution in what was obviously an excellent team display that delivered a stunning 5-0 victory at their opposition’s home ground. That same accelerating curve path in club football has been replicated during international representation occasions. Missing out on U-17 competition as the pandemic created havoc, his first time of proudly displaying the dragon on his chest came for the U-19’s. A switch to U-21 duty soon occurred and then came two senior caps with substitute appearances at the end of last season. Then it was somewhat of a response to a depleted availability for squad selection but his importance for the future was confirmed with retention in the squad assembled for the two matches about to be contested during the present international break.

That same academy path from Tranmere to Liverpool (although with an interim period at Stoke City in this case) was one negotiated by Owen Beck (2002) as he impressed during his pre and early teenage years. His club football for the present season will be performed at Blackburn Rovers and he was credited with a noteworthy display as he played his first game for them at the weekend. A loan arrangement with Liverpool was completed last week, after much speculation during the summer, with numerous clubs approaching the Reds about his availability. Owen is another who made rapid strides in the development teams and made his first team debut with a brief introduction as a substitute in a 2021/22 season fourth round Carabao Cup tie, followed by another few minutes longer stint in the next round. Plenty of fan excitement focused on his potential candidacy as a future left wing back replacement, a position they believed was an important contributor to team successes. A loan arrangement for the 2022/23 season was eventually agreed with Bolton Wanderers as a means of continuing his development, a situation that disappointed, with much less playing time than anticipated and an early return to Merseyside at the end of the January transfer window. Last season was an almost complete reverse, he joined Scottish Premier side Dundee on loan, and was named in the PFA Scotland team of the year as indication of impressive performances for them. Playing for the Wales U-21 team over the past three seasons has seen him collect over a dozen caps as well being on the bench for the senior team in the friendly against Gibraltar last October. He has been included in the present senior squad and that may well be the norm going forward.

Scoring his first goal in senior football was undoubtedly a big thrill for Barnsley midfielder Vimal Yoganathan (2006) an experience soon followed as he added a second one. At the time it extended the team’s lead as they contested a Bristol Motors Trophy match, a game in which the opponents were victorious by eventually overcoming the deficit. Vimal was utilized as a forward in the game as opposed to his more familiar midfield role, showing that he has versatility as an asset. He made his debut for the club early last season and accumulated a handful of appearances in various cup competitions. Also selected for the Carabao Cup tie the previous week, he was again in the starting line-up this week as Barnsley progressed to the third round of the competition.  Alongside Vimal in the Trophy starting line-up was midfielder Jonathan Bland (2005), his second occasion of playing for the Barnsley first team after making his debut with an introduction as a substitute in the competition last season. Both will be aiming to showcase their talents through performances for the club’s U-21 team, attempting to persuade management they are worthy of getting an increasing amount of first team exposure as the season progresses. Jonathan played for the Wales U-15 team when an associated schoolboy with West Bromwich Albion and then received his next cap for the U-18’s at the end of the 2022/23 season at that point a scholar with the Tykes. Vimal joined Barnsley as a scholar following a lengthy association with Liverpool as a schoolboy. He gained his first Wales cap last season when selected for the U-19 team. Vimal had been involved in training camps in earlier seasons. As was the case with Jonathan and many others in their age groups, they missed out on the possibility of other caps when covid severely disrupted youth football for a couple of seasons.
    
Goalkeeper Eddie Beach (2003) is on a season long loan at Crawley Town, his services acquired through an arrangement with Chelsea. He made his first team debut when selected for their Bristol Motors Trophy tie and I’m sure delighted their fans by not only producing some noteworthy saves during the match but also denied the opposition with a save in the ensuing penalty shootout which provided the added point on offer for the team. Though a latecomer to the art of goalkeeping, Southampton had no hesitation in recruiting him, firstly into their academy and then as a scholar with them. At the end of that time, in the summer of 2022, Chelsea negotiated for his transfer to their club. Installed as their starting U-21 team goalkeeper, he then gained good experience as National League South Chelmsford City’s starter for the second half of the 2022/23 season. Last season there were a couple of instances of bench time in Premier League games before being loaned out to National League side Gateshead. Illness during that time interrupted his availability for them. Crawley is now the next step for him, and he will hope to amass as much game time experience as possible with them. Eddie first played for Wales at U-19 level and has then been the starting keeper for most of the Wales U-21 team’s games over the last two seasons.

A seven year association with Arsenal came to an end for forward Omari Benjamin (2005) when he completed his time as a scholar with them in the summer. Despite compiling a stellar goalscoring record during his U-18 career, some injury absences which hampered his development probably contributed to the decision not to retain his services. Such scenarios are not uncommon for many young players, one of the many obstacles needing to be negotiated when attempting to build a satisfactory career. Having been alerted some weeks prior to the end of the season, Omari accepted an invitation to trial with Everton. The Toffees coaches were impressed, offering him a contract when he became available, and so he is now plying his trade on Merseyside. He has settled well in his new surrounds, already earning praise in early performances. Mainly used in a central striking role, he can also operate out wide, very effectively providing another option for the team. Initially capped at U-16 level, Omari continued to be selected for Wales teams through to the U-19’s.
    
A Carabao Cup tie against Premier League opposition Chelsea was AFC Wimbledon midfielder Morgan Williams’ (2004) first starting assignment when the game was played early last season, a match in which he received very positive comments about his performance. After completing his time as a scholar at the club, he had signed a full professional contract in the summer and so it was a pleasing start to the next phase of his career. After another couple of appearances, it was decided that a three month loan at National League side Woking was a means of accelerating his first team experience, a feat he accomplished. The remainder of the season was very frustrating for him as an injury required lengthy rehabilitation and his full recovery was not completed until his return for the preseason. Morgan’s inclusion in last week’s Bristol Motors Trophy team was his first competitive outing of the season and his aim now will be to build on the good display he provided. He did gat selected in the squad for Wimbledon’s Carabao Cup tie against Ipswich this week but remained on the bench. The starting eleven played very well and necessitated minimal changes as they tied the match and eventually progressed through on penalties. Morgan can now look forward to the possibility of involvement against third round opposition.   First capped when playing for the Wales U-15 team, he did so for the U-18’s and 19’s as well. He is now intent on producing high quality displays at club level, getting notice to be considered for national U-21 selection.   

[ photo embedded from FAW cymru ]