European Clubs that have given youngsters the most chances in their first team
In a recent study conducted by CIES Football Observatory, it was revealed that David Moyes’ Real Sociedad has been the most successful club in turning their youngsters into first team starters with the lowest average age of integrating players into their first-team squad in Europe’s top five leagues.
With an average age of just 21.75 years for their first team players when they had joined the first team squad, Sociedad topped the chart with only Real Madrid and Barcelona making a cut to the top 10 among the heavyweight clubs in Europe.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have recorded average ages of 22.44 and 22.66 respectively, the only two teams among the top five ranked teams in the club coefficient ranking. From the Premier League, Manchester United had the lowest average of any team (22.90), more than leaders Chelsea (23.98).
Here’s how the top 10 list looks like:
| Club | Nation | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Real Sociedad | Spain | 21.75 |
| Nice | France | 21.92 |
| Marseille | France | 22.06 |
| Lyon | France | 22.09 |
| Toulouse | France | 22.29 |
| Werder Bremen | Germany | 22.37 |
| Real Madrid | Spain | 22.44 |
| Schalke | Germany | 22.58 |
| Barcelona | Spain | 22.66 |
| Dortmund | Germany | 22.66 |