Ademola Lookman’s move abroad a blueprint for English player education | Liam Rosenior

The England team could only benefit if more of the squad had sampled a different environment while embracing a new language and culture – as under-21 winger is doing at RB Leipzig

With all of the transfer talk predictably revolving around the big-money moves to Champions League-level clubs by players such as Sánchez, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and Laporte, there was one loan deal involving an overseas club in a Champions League place that really caught my eye. Ademola Lookman took a brave decision – seemingly against the wishes of his Everton manager, Sam Allardyce – in leaving the comfort zone of staying in this country and joining Championship side Derby County and instead pushed for a move to RB Leipzig, who are third in Germany’s Bundesliga.

For years I have looked at the number of young English players whose footballing intelligence and education could be much greater advanced by sampling a different footballing environment in a top league while coming to terms with learning a new language and culture, assimilating a different style of play and adopting different tactical approaches and principles that are being taught to them on the training ground.

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