Darren Purse Leeds United:

Cardiff under-21s boss Darren Purse says the Bluebirds cannot compete with the likes of Leeds United and the "unbelievable wages" they are offering 16-year-old kids.

Cardiff last season received nearly a £million for their 16 year old youngsters that left for Leeds and Manchester United, but Purse said yes the fees were good received but we can not compete with the wages they are paying them.

Charlie Crew was snapped up by Leeds last year and is tipped to be a real talent. Indeed, he impressed for Wales under-17s at their recent Euros tournament and was rewarded with a call-up to Matty Jones' under-21s.

He was sold to Leeds for a six-figure fee last year and the Elland Road club are understood to be forking out a hefty wage for the central midfielder.

"That's the game," Purse said. "We can't get anywhere near the wages the boys are getting. You look at Charlie Crew at Leeds, I know roughly what he is on and he is on an unbelievable amount of money for a young, 16-year-old man.

"Even with us, if he signed a professional contract, he is nowhere near getting that level of money. So, who are we to stand in their way?

"Yes we are getting big fees for them but we would get even more if we could afford to keep them till they were at least 18 years old."

"It's not ideal, because we want to keep the best players in the academy that we can. It's the way the rules are and we just have to deal with that."

i cannot for the life of me, remember the last time we signed a 17, 16, 15 year old from another Academy, we seem to sign ones released,

His Dad Soul was good in the 80s!

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If Leeds don't get back to the premiership fast those kids will be the first to go when the financial reckoning comes.We can't compete with those clubs.

With this logic, Luton wouldn't have made the Premier league. Absolute nonsense from Purse.