Coventry City manager Tony Mowbray has said that he is waiting on youngsters Jordan Shipley, Corey Addai, Darragh Leahy, Callum Maycock and Jacob Whitmore to sign the contracts offered to them.
So far, none of the U18's players have signed and speaking to the Coventry Telegraph's Andy Turner about this, Mowbray said: “As we sit here today they are not all agreed.
“To put it into context we’re in a different world to even a few years ago when players would just be delighted to get a contract offer because otherwise they’d have to go and find a real job in the real world.
“Every young player seems to have an agent these days and every agent seems to have to show that they are doing something, show their worth by saying, ‘this is what this club pay their first-year pros.’
“We’re saying that this is what we can afford in our budget and we’re giving you an opportunity to be a footballer. We’re not sure they’ll get in and around the first team but you look to protect your assets and then it’s down to their footballing ability.
“Some are happy to sign, the ones whose parents have got involved rather than their agents and say ‘yes, little Jimmy is delighted with his contract offer and is going to work as hard as he can to try to get around your team and show he’s worthy of it.’
“Others want more money, want this, want that, but hopefully over the next few weeks all of them will agree to their deals.
“There’s a bit of to’ing and fro’ing but my advice to them all is just give yourself the chance to be a footballer because at 17/18 you are just a young lad looking for where you are in life; probably got yourself your first girlfriend, been on holiday for the first time without your mam and dad, just getting a car.
“Give yourself the chance to be a footballer, don’t go chasing a few extra hundred quid now when all you need to do is focus on being a better player.
“That’s my advice, always has been and always will be. And then the talent takes them to where it should be.
“This club will pay them what we can pay them to keep them here but if they outgrow the club by being the best player in the first team every week someone will come along and offer you money for them.
“Then, invariably, you can’t keep them because they are being offered ten, 20, 30 times what we can. So we wouldn’t stand in their way, we’d do the right deal.
“The bigger idea at this club is to use those players to help us get out of this league and get more money from TV rights – not feel like you have to sell your best assets because the more good players you have the more chance you have of getting out of leagues.”