For most clubs, producing a starting XI worth over £300million from their academy alone would be heralded as a phenomenal success. Unfortunately for Manchester City that talent has made a combined total of just 92 appearances for their first team - 64 of which were made by Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho alone. While Pep Guardiola 's gilded squad have just landed an unprecedented domestic treble, behind the scenes one of the country's best academies is haemorrhaging its best prospects. Since the club's £200m state-of-the-art youth and training Etihad Campus opened in 2014, Monaco playmaker Rony Lopes (second left), Bournemouth starlet David Brooks (far right) and England prodigy Jadon Sancho (far left) are among those who have slipped through City's clutches.
REVEALED: The REAL story of Sunderland's takeover - owners used Premier League parachute payments to buy Black Cats with only £5m of their own cash... a year on they could pocket £40m by selling the club
SPORTSMAIL INVESTIGATIONS TEAM: If Sunderland secure promotion back to the Championship this weekend with victory over Charlton at Wembley, the fans may salute two men they regard as the saviours of their football club. But, as a Sportsmail investigation reveals, Stewart Donald (top and inset) and Charlie Methven (bottom right) struck a deal with former owner Ellis Short to buy the club using Premier League parachute payments. The pair committed only £5million of their own money in the reported £40m takeover.
Click through today in pictures
'I saw him walking towards me, there wasn't a big smile. I thought "here goes" and I had my guard up': Sheringham on ending 20-year feud with Cole and THAT Champions League win
INTERVIEW BY CHRIS WHEELER: Teddy Sheringham turns up straight from Camp Nou. Not the stadium. His house in Essex. When he built the property in 2005, it was the obvious name. ‘You’ve got to call it something and Camp Nou seemed quite apt,’ smiles Sheringham. Twenty years on from his heroics in Barcelona and the former Manchester United striker is clearly happy to indulge in a little nostalgia. This weekend, he will join his former teammates at Old Trafford to take on Bayern Munich in a re-run of that momentous 1999 Champions League final.
'We'll be funding our transfer budget with kit sales!': Arsenal fans go wild for stunning new Adidas strips after club legend Wright appears to leak designs on Twitter
Arsenal fans have struggled to contain their excitement after Ian Wright seemingly leaked the club's home and away kits for next season. The Gunners legend took to Twitter to post a picture of striking duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette on Tuesday, supporters quickly noticing the Adidas Arsenal shirts the pair were wearing were ones that had not been seen before. Wright soon deleted the post, apparently realising he had uploaded a little prematurely, but not before the image had been saved by his followers and shared all over the social media platform.
'What a gentleman': Beckham salutes Pochettino after watching Tottenham boss prepare his side for Champions League final
Tottenham's players were given a bit of added inspiration in their Champions League final preparations as footballing icon David Beckham paid a visit to the team's training session on Wednesday. Spurs are gearing up for the biggest game in the club's history when they take on Liverpool in the Champions League final in Madrid next Saturday. And the likes of Maurico Pochettino and Harry Kane looked pleased to have one of the game's biggest stars present during the session at their Enfield training complex.
Kane, Vertonghen and Sanchez back in Tottenham training as trio step up bid to be fit in time for Champions League final against Liverpool
Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez have stepped up their bids for full fitness ahead of next Saturday's Champions League final. The key Tottenham trio are all on the way back from injury and desperate to play a part in Madrid against Liverpool. Kane has been out of action since suffering an ankle injury against Manchester City in the first leg of the quarter-final. But the England international is back running and taking part in training sessions again and even took time out to chat with David Beckham who dropped in on the session.
Cipriani caps outstanding campaign by being named Premiership player of the season to seal awards double
Danny Cipriani (left) has continued an outstanding debut year at Gloucester by being named Gallagher Premiership player of the season. Saracens' Mark McCall (right) was named director of rugby for the season after the north London club won their third European title after defeating Leinster in the final of the Champions Cup and finished the regular Premiership season in second. The young player of the year award was secured by Sale's 20-year-old England openside Tom Curry (centre).
Manchester City duo Fernandinho and Jesus join up with Brazil team-mates as they turn attentions to the Copa America
Premier League winners Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho were all smiles as they joined up with their Brazil team-mates on Wednesday afternoon. The pair have spent the past few days celebrating Manchester City's historic domestic treble but must now get back to work with the 2019 Copa America right around the corner. And they looked ready to go as they immediately hit the gym at the Granja Comary Football Complex, headquarters of the national team.
Delph hooks up with England squad early as Southgate's men continue preparations for Nations League semi against Holland
Fabian Delph reported for England's training session on Wednesday as Gareth Southgate's men got their preparations for Nations League semi-final against Holland underway. As Sportsmail revealed this week, the midfielder took the decision to cut short Manchester City's domestic treble celebrations to hook up with the England squad five days early. Delph along with Manchester City team-mates, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and John Stones, were not due to attend until next Monday due to their participation in the FA Cup final against Watford.
Georgia on his mind: England star Buttler happy to have baby daughter as World Cup distraction
EXCLUSIVE BY GLEN WILLIAMS: The stresses of becoming a father for the first time might weigh heavily on some — but for Jos Buttler, it is a more than welcome distraction. The England batsman, who many hope will have a starring role in this summer’s World Cup, last month cut short his stint in the IPL and flew home to be beside his wife Louise before she gave birth to their baby girl, Georgia Rose. And while the pressures of the World Cup loom, Buttler is grateful for the comparative serenity of fatherhood
Barcelona will NOT sign Tottenham and West Ham target Gomez as a back-up for Suarez… but veterans Llorente and Stuani are being considered
Barcelona are not about to derail Tottenham and West Ham’s attempts to sign Uruguayan centre-forward Maxi Gomez (left). The player coming in also needs to be willing to sit on the bench for most of the season because although 32-year-old Luis Suarez (inset) needs back-up, he still wants to play most games and he second top-scored in La Liga this season with 21-goals. Of the veteran options another Uruguayan has emerged as a contender after the recent relegation of Girona. But it remains to be seen whether Cristhian Stuani (top right) will want to see out his career from the sidelines. Fernando Llorente (bottom right) is another option and would cost nothing having come to the end of his deal at Tottenham.
Hazard No 2's £30m move: Dortmund snap up Eden's brother Thorgan as they splash out on deal for playmaker from Borussia Monchengladbach
Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Eden Hazard's younger brother Thorgan on a five-year deal. The attacking midfielder has joined the eight-time German champions for an undisclosed fee from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Monchengladbach. 'I’m grateful for the five wonderful years I’ve spent at Borussia Monchengladbach and the good memories I take with me,' Hazard said on Wednesday.
Stars of sport
- City duo Jesus and Fernandinho join up with Brazil team-mates as they turn attentions to the Copa America days after FA Cup glory Hungry for more success
- 'We'll be funding our transfer budget with kit sales!': Arsenal fans go wild for stunning new home and away strips But which former pro leaked pictures of the kit?
- 'I think he will be able to play the final': Sarri confident Kante will be fit for Europa League decider as Frenchman returns to training A boost for the Blues
- Delph hooks up with England squad early as Southgate's men begin preparations for Nations League semi-final against Holland No rest for the City player
- 'What a gentleman': Beckham salutes Pochettino after watching Tottenham prepare for the Champions League final A very special visitor
more stars of sport
- Promising omen? Liverpool play six-a-side tournament in Marbella... and captain Henderson's team win! Preparing for the Champions League final
- Pogba enjoys downtime in Dubai with girlfriend Maria Salaues as doubts remain over his future at Manchester United Looks happy and relaxed
- Dortmund sign Hazard (no, not that one!): Eden's brother Thorgan seals £30m move to German giants He's an attacking midfielder too
- It's Little Big Sam! Allardyce's grandson signs for League One club Oxford You won't be surprised to hear he is a centre half - just like his grandad
- 'Did they use the same guy that did the Ronaldo statue?': Fans mock new sculpture of George Best It has been erected outside Windsor Park
- Sterling wants to meet with FA and Premier League to discuss efforts to fight racism in football Outlined his plan at a conference in New York
- 'This is just terrible': Inter Milan fans not happy with club's new home kit as they complain over bizarre use of both straight AND diagonal stripes
- England stars lap up sun in first session back as Rice, Redmond and Rashford begin preparations ahead of Nations League finals Hard work starts here
- Pulisic poses in Chelsea shirt at Stamford Bridge after completing £58m move from Dortmund He's signing for the Blues this summer
- England unveil new kit Morgan, Ali and Co will wear as they bid to become world champions at home And the light blue colour is a throwback to 1992!
- 'No one misses the Liverpool weather!': Mane pokes fun at English rain as Klopp's side lap up the sun at Marbella training camp Getting ready for Madrid
- Ozil surprises seriously ill Arsenal-mad youngster by inviting him to his house for a tour and kickabout Nice touch
- 'One of the players I should come here': Is this the moment Mourinho revealed he has spoken with Ronaldo about Juve move?
- 'Absolute disgrace!!': Arsenal legend Wright slams UEFA as club confirm Mkhitaryan will miss Europa League final due to safety concerns
- REVEALED: Jorginho ran FURTHER than Chelsea team-mate Kante this season ... And who was the Premier League's marathon man?
- Liverpool touch down in Marbella as Klopp's side plot Tottenham's downfall in Champions League final Stepping up their preparations
- 'My blood is blue now': Chelsea striker Giroud would love to haunt old club Arsenal in Europa League final INTERVIEW BY MATT BARLOW
- Manchester City celebrate historic domestic Treble as captain Kompany says goodbye to fans during open-top bus parade Treble-winning stars
- Chelsea step up preparations for Europa League final as Hazard and Sarri's futures hang in the balance Clouds hang over futures of talisman and manager
- Fiorentina in disarray: Stars wanting out and uninterested owners led to winless streak of 13 games that could cost them relegation Fallen giants
- Joshua insists he will not underestimate fleshy foe Ruiz and 'it's what inside that counts' Meet in New York on June 1 for a heavyweight title clash
- Kroos will 'fight' for his place if Pogba joins Real Madrid... as Man United star does his best Kill Bill impression 'I like this player but nothing changes for me'
- Williams FIT for French Open as American star puts practice in on redeveloped Philippe-Chatrier court Pulled out of Italian Open
- Pakistan cricketer Ali leaves team camp as two-year-old daughter dies of cancer before Cricket World Cup 'My angel returned to Allah last night'
- NOT the Real deal! Madrid fans vote against signing Paul Pogba this summer... but they want Hazard The fans have had their say on transfers
- That's got to hurt! Clumsy Ronaldo loses grip of Serie A trophy as it hits son in the face! And he bumps into girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez too!
- He can Bale out Utd: Real Madrid misfit Bale 'can make the difference' to Solskjaer, says Redknapp EXCLUSIVE BY GLEN WILLIAMS
- 'Everton? Don't do it! What a s*** club!' Ex-Toffees winger Andy van der Meyde urges Anwar El Ghazi against joining his old club He didn't hold back!
- Mbappe does the double! PSG star scoops Ligue 1 Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards in Paris But no sign of Neymar
- Northcutt reveals shocking injuries after brutal 29-second knockout in ONE Championship debut Underwent nine hours of surgery
- Praying the Wilder fight gets made, AJ? Joshua relaxes in Miami as he prepares for Andy Ruiz Jnr bout with yoga British heavyweight star kicked back and relaxed
- Flares, masks and immortalised boot prints: Partizan Belgrade give incredible send off to 41-year-old club legend Ilic Club captain is retiring
- Adebayor shoved over in touchline fracas during Istanbul derby title decider Chaos reigned in Turkey between Galatasaray and Istanbul Basaksehir
- Ciao Rambo! Juventus welcome Ramsey to Turin as he watches new side in their final Serie A home match The Arsenal midfielder will join club in summer
- Bale storms down the tunnel after being denied Real Madrid farewell The Welshman was an unused substitute in a 2-0 home defeat to Real Betis
- Duff offers coaching tips to Dembele as 16-year-old lights up Celtic's title celebrations Youngster made his senior debut for the club
- Stars of tennis come together to unveil new Wimbledon roof on court No 1 Famous faces included Venus Williams and John McEnroe
- Kompany to rejoin boyhood club Anderlecht as player-manager this summer The Belgian announced he is leaving Man City after 11 years on Sunday
- Ozil sits down for dinner with Turkish president Erdogan The Arsenal star risks controversy again after meeting the controversial leader in Istanbul
- 'The time has come for me to go now': Kompany explains why he is leaving City The Belgian centre-half will end his 11-year stay at the club this summer
- Wilder makes savage statement to Joshua and Fury in victory In just over two minutes of action, Wilder knocked out challenger Breazeale to defend his WBC title
- Fury congratulates heavyweight rival Wilder on his latest victory The Gypsy King also warned Joshua that he would suffer a loss to the Bronze Bomber
- Saunders wins vacant WBO super middleweight title comfortably against Isufi JEFF POWELL AT THE LAMEX STADIUM
- Manchester City kit man celebrates half naked in dressing room as Guardiola's side toast domestic treble Ran into changing room in his flimsy underpants
- Incredible moment Guardiola coaches Sterling just MINUTES after he netted brace in Man City's 6-0 FA Cup final win over Watford Greatness never sleeps!
- 'Union could become just a sport of the south': Falcons owner Kurdi calls for bigger top flight EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY NIK SIMON
- Transport for Greater Manchester poke fun at Liverpool as they use sign to warn drivers ahead of City parade 'You'll not be walking alone'
- 'I have to see what I've seen in these last three seasons': Guardiola not afraid to wield the axe Kompany, Sane and Gundogan could all go in summer revamp
- Bournemouth make first major signing of the transfer window Cherries announced the £17million signing of left back Lloyd Kelly
- Bayern Munich claim seventh successive Bundesliga title German giants continue domestic dominance as they edge Dortmund on final day of the season
- 'What an absolute weapon': Wilder mocked after sounding like Borat The American produced a woeful attempt at an English accent.
- 'We've got another spy in the camp': Morris and Terry mock Bielsa Former Chelsea team-mates will be enemies in Championship play-off final.
- Rahm caught short during USPGA Championship as he is seen nipping into rough to answer call of nature When you've got to go, you've got to go
- Boxer collapses on stage after struggling to make weight Organisers have decided to abandon Ryan Garner's contest on Saturday night as a result
- McDonalds, a smoke and an opening 75: John Daly rides around US PGA Championship on a BUGGY Daly has a buggy for medical reasons
- Beckham enjoys game with his sons as whole family don the new United jersey... but Romeo cannot hide his Arsenal allegiances! Split allegiances
- 'You have to learn... if you don't, there's clearly something wrong': Saunders reflects on awful 2018 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY DANIEL MATTHEWS.
- From mimicking a sex act with a water bottle, tanking points and needing an umpire to teach him the rules... Nick Kyrgios' maddest moments on court
- 'A horrible human being... a***hole!': Partner of Mike Towell - who died after fighting - slams Wilder 'He should never box again'
- Straight Fyre! Southampton unveil kits for 2019-20 season in hilarious parody of Netflix documentary 'Fyre' Parodied doomed festival
- Portsmouth fan appears to punch and kick Sunderland's O'Nien after defender falls into the crowd Rowed with Cattermole and tried to ENTER pitch
- Barcelona star Messi follows in Cruyff's footsteps by being awarded with Creu de Sant Jordi for his services to Catalonia High honour
- Solskjaer returns to Norway as Manchester United boss takes end-of-season break to watch old club Molde His presence failed to inspire them to victory
- Saunders taunts former rival Eubank Jnr and claims he would rather face Smith after clash with Isufi 'He goes to bed thinking about me'
- Ajax stars welcomed by more than 100,000 fans to celebrate domestic double as club pay tribute to brain-damaged Nouri Sealed Eredivisie title
- Lampard and his Derby players bounce in a pub after enthralling play-off victory over Leeds Keeping the celebrations low-key, Frank?
- Kyrgios KICKED OUT of Italian Open after throwing chair across the court, smashing his racket and yelling 'I'm f***ing done!' Astonishing meltdown
- Leeds fan who confidently got 'Championship play-off winners' tattoo before second leg against Derby is left red-faced Beaten 4-3 on aggregate
- 'Never forget the important things in life': Manchester United star Pogba visits Mecca during Ramadan Made the same trip at end of last two seasons
- Chelsea stars poke fun at Green as veteran goalkeeper makes his first appearance for the club as 88th-minute sub Friendly against New England Revolution
- Manchester United reveal new shirts paying tribute to historic 1999 Treble anniversary... but have they got their years mixed up?! New kit on sale
FOOTBALL NEWS
Klopp organises six-a-side tournament with Liverpool in Marbella... and in a promising omen, captain Henderson's team win!
Liverpool have been training in the Marbella sun as Jurgen Klopp's men hone their preparations for the Champions League final against Tottenham. The Reds arrived in Spain on Monday for a warm-weather training camp ahead of their June 1 fixture against their Premier League rivals. And Klopp oversaw a four-team, six-a-side tournament involving a twist with key men Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
Sarri confident Kante will be fit for Europa League final as Frenchman gets back into the groove in training after hamstring injury
Maurizio Sarri is confident N'Golo Kante will be fit to face Arsenal in the Europa League final. Kante, who missed the final two games of the season after injuring a hamstring against Watford earlier this month, joined teammates for training at Cobham on Tuesday. 'We are trying to recover Kante,' said Sarri. 'He had a part of the training on Monday with the group, so we are optimistic.
'Did they use the same guy that did the Ronaldo statue?': Fans mock sculpture of George Best and claim it looks nothing like Manchester United legend as it is unveiled outside Belfast's Windsor Park
There have been plenty of examples where turning a footballer into a statue hasn't quite worked out and a sculpture of George Best has drawn awful reviews after being unveiled on Wednesday. A statue of the Manchester United legend has been erected outside Windsor Park in Belfast and was presented by his former Northern Ireland team-mates Pat Jennings and Gerry Armstrong on what would have been his 73rd birthday. Best, who made over 350 appearances and scored more than 100 goals for the Red Devils, died in 2005 at the age of 59 and his homeland have now attempted to pay tribute to him.
'Giroud and Luiz have relatives there that they often visit': Arsenal fans joke Chelsea stars have links to Armenia in bid to force them out of Europa final
Arsenal fans have taken to social media to joke that a number of Chelsea players are Armenian so they cannot play in next week's Europa League final. The eagerly anticipated all-English final in Baku descended into farce on Tuesday when Arsenal announced they would not be taking Henrikh Mkhitaryan to the Azerbaijani capital due to safety concerns.
OTHER SPORTS NEWS
Smith hits 50 as Australia beat West Indies in warm-up but Khawaja is sent to hospital after being struck in the jaw by a bouncer
Steve Smith marked his return to English soil with a typically assured half century but there were contrasting fortunes for his Australia team-mates David Warner and Usman Khawaja. Smith and Warner are back on the international scene after one-year bans for their part in the ball-tampering scandal and made their comebacks on these shores in the first of the summer's World Cup warm-ups against the West Indies. There is likely to be plenty of barracking from partisan crowds in the coming months, not least when it comes to the Ashes, but they were afforded the gentlest of baby steps during a seven-wicket win at the Ageas Bowl's Nursery Ground.
From a group of backpackers to 33,000 fanatics... England's Barmy Army preparing for biggest summer in cricket history on 25th anniversary
In 1994, a group of backpackers joined a small group of cricket fans who watched England lose the Ashes – but carried on singing, drinking and supporting their defeated team. They printed a few t-shirts – and the Barmy Army was born. A quarter of a century on and the Barmy Army has 33,000 members, 250,000 social media followers, brings millions of pounds to every foreign venue they visit and are welcomed everywhere but Lord's. They are intent on keeping Test cricket alive and want to be taken seriously as a force in a game that refuses to die.
RACING
THE BEST WRITING IN SPORT
£93MILLION since 2004: The staggering amount Abramovich has paid out in compensation to sacked Chelsea managers after handing Conte £9m... and over a third of it has gone to Mourinho!
Chelsea were this week ordered to pay their former boss Antonio Conte £9million in compensation, taking their spending on sacking managers to £92.9m. Conte was dismissed last July despite leading Chelsea to the FA Cup trophy after they failed to qualify for the Champions League. Here, Sportsmail takes a look at owner Roman Abramovich's past victims.