Some excellent posts here.
In a way, we are victims of our own success. We are producing top quality players who other clubs now covet.
Not easy to swallow when we lose the top top players like Barry and Rogers), but it shows the quality of the academy.
We should celebrate that we are producing the talent but know we will lose the top ones. Fulham are about to lose a top 16 year old to Liverpool by the way so it affects all of us, even Man City, who lose out to German clubs.
We could this year have Harper, Field, Edwards and Soule in our first team squad and all could play. To have potentially 20% of our first team generated by the academy is a huge money saving, even despite losing our two jewels.
As another positive, if lads can see that they could go to Man City or Barcelona from little old WBA, isn't that a positive to join us in the first place. Personally feel that this fact is a major advert and reason to join our academy.
For every diamond we lose cheaply: Matt Smith, Dhanda, Brown, Barry, Rogers
We make or save money on: Berahino, Roberts, Edwards, Field, Harper, Tulloch, Roofe, Sawyers.