Liverpool, Chelsea & Man United deny scouts access to youth games as academy tensions rise | OneFootball

Tensions between Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United have reached a fever pitch at the academy level as scouts from each club have been denied access to youth games, according to The Athletic.

Over the past month, both Liverpool and Man United scouts have had their accreditation requests for academy games at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground rejected.

The situation is reportedly reciprocal among the three clubs. Chelsea have also seen scouts denied access to academy games at Liverpool, but the Reds have denied taking part in the merry-go-round.

However, they have indicated that any applications from Chelsea scouts to watch academy games at Liverpool in the future will likely be denied as a form of retaliation.

According to the report, Chelsea were the first to restrict opposition access to academy games, although insiders have denied the allegations.

It is believed that the Blues initiated the restrictions as a response to losing promising 16-year-old talent Rio Ngumoha to Liverpool last summer.

The English prodigy was considered one of the brightest talents to come out of Cobham in recent years, but Liverpool pounced on the youngster’s desire for a new challenge to lure him away from West London.

The Reds beat United to Ngumoha’s signature, and the move passed the Premier League’s five-step review process, ensuring there was no foul play.

Despite the growing tension, none of the three clubs have officially banned the others from accessing their academy games.

Premier League regulations on youth development state that clubs must allow opposition scouts to attend academy games provided they notify both clubs no later than noon on the last working day before the match and produce valid identification.

In an attempt to resolve the situation, representatives from Chelsea, Liverpool, and United held discussions last week, but no agreement has been reached so far.

Despite the restrictions placed on scouts, there hasn’t been a complete shutdown in the process as other personnel from the clubs have continued to attend academy matches during this period.