The fact is that most youngsters we didn't send out on loan also didn't make it, because most youngsters are never going to make it.
But I agree, loans are not a great solution, because a loan club are only ever going to be interested in having a loanee as an immediate solution, not in actually developing the player. Why would you put loads of resources into developing a player for someone else and pay for the privilege? The buyback clause is a much better solution, although it seems to me that the Lavia one wasn't done in an ideal way. Maybe we didn't want him, but it seems strange that Southampton are able to sell him on without us being given first refusal on the player, because they sold him after a year rather than after 2 years.
