10 minute read
Ed Francis Interview
ED FRANCIS
AGE: 21 DOB: 11.09.1999 BIRTHPLACE: POYNTON SIGNED FROM: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (DEC 2020) 2020/21 LEAGUE TWO APPEARANCES: 7
ED FRANCIS
BORN JUST SOUTH OF MANCHESTER, Francis was scooped up by the Manchester City academy at the age of just six. Technically gifted, Francis’ standout ability at such a young age had him earn his first youth contract at nine years old, and he would stay with the Cityzens for a further 11 years.
In the early days of his City career, Francis and his teammates were part of a typical youth set up for a Premier League club, but this was before the “Money and Pep era” as Francis describes it. Heavy investment and the creation of the Etihad Campus revolutionised City’s approach and took the Manchester club to “another level”.
“I remember it looking like a big spaceship,” Francis explains. “No academy I had been to or played at compared. Everything was done for us.”
Manchester City meant business and did whatever they could to help their youngsters become better footballers. At the age of 13, Francis and his teammates were all put into the same private school where they had lessons in the morning before being taken to the Etihad Campus for an afternoon of football. Francis was told at 14-years-old that he would be given a one year scholar and then a three-year professional contract once he turned sixteen. However, that news was no distraction to the youngster who was just focused on playing football.
“The decision to go through the process was a no brainer for me. It was such a good opportunity and playing football every day is something I wanted to do since I can remember.”
The £200 million training complex is designed to create a pathway to the first team for the next generation. Francis would train on pitches just a crossfield pass away from the first team and even at a young age, had everything a first-team pro could dream of. He regularly played in what he calls
the ‘Minihad’, the 7,000 seater stadium based in the campus which helps prepare the players for their next steps. Francis admits that it was “almost too easy” with everything done for the youngsters, but a determined lad from Cheshire wasn’t going to let his drive and passion deteriorate.
At 17, Francis was progressing well, having captained his youth side from under 11s onwards. His team was full of players who are now taking the game by storm, including England internationals, Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho. City’s youth captain and Foden had both joined the academy at the same time and they would go on to spend 10 years together. Sancho joined the ranks at the age of 14, with Francis admitting he “used to let him do all the work” down the left when they played together.
“There were big characters in the team like Sancho and Foden, and I always thought I led them quite well and I never shirked the responsibility. You can say I’m partly responsible for them going on to do so well,” Francis laughs. “At the age of 12, Foden had been picked out from the academy as one they wanted to really do well. They did a lot to help him get there and at 16 years old, was the only one from our age group to go on tour with the first team. From there, he ripped it up against Manchester United and has done ever since. He’s not the only one to go on and do well though, we had Tyrese Campbell, who is now at Stoke doing really well and Joel Latibeaudiere, used to partner me at centre back, he’s now at Swansea.”
During his time in City’s youth set-up, Francis travelled across Europe to play in the UEFA Youth League and was now beginning to get a taste of what it was like to become a professional footballer.One game which stands out to Francis is an away trip to Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine but it wasn’t to do with the performance or result; but more the support shown by his dad, who had travelled to the country in the middle of winter to watch his son play.
“My dad has been massive for me and he goes to absolutely every game. I remember we had already qualified top of the group for the game in Kiev, it was snowing and I just remember him standing there watching on from the side-lines. He just loves watching me play and would do anything for me, and has done everything possible to help me get where I am now. It just gives me that extra motivation. He’s flown to probably 30 different countries to watch me play a game of football and then he travels straight back. It’s things like that gave me the extra drive and dedication.”
At 17, Francis began to get involved with City’s first team, taking part in sessions at a time when City were flying under Pep Guardiola. The squad was full of big hitters, including Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. To grace the pitch with just one of those would be a career highlight for many footballers, but for Francis, it was becoming normality.
“It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest, and I was blown away by Pep’s presence, he’s so intense but you’d swear by every word he said. I just stayed quiet and tried to learn as much as I could.” Francis continues, “When Pep is walking about it’s a bit surreal but it’s about getting stuck in and taking the opportunity. I found that Raheem Sterling was really good with the younger lads and so was Vincent Kompany. I would play at centre back with Jon Stones, learning from him. It felt out of this world when the lads went out of their way to speak to me.”
As a City fan, it meant that little bit more to Francis but as he got older, he found himself looking at ways to break into the first team rather than wishing them well from the other side of a TV screen. From the age of 15, Francis had been impressing with England’s youth teams, playing across the world in Euros and World Championships. It’s a huge stage to play on but one which attracts the attention of the top clubs. Francis has always found playing for England a “great honour” but also an opportunity to show managers that he’s ready for first-team football.
That chance came following a year with City’s under 23s team when the gifted 18-year-old was sent out on loan to Dutch side Almere City in the Eerste Divisie for the 2018/19 season. With Francis wanting to move into midfield, it was thought Dutch football would suit the English man but the loan move didn’t go to plan. That pre-season, Francis had been competing with England’s under 19’s team and came into pre-season finding himself lower down in the pecking order. Almere also had a strong start to the season and it meant Francis couldn’t force his way into their plans. By October, Francis had accepted that his time in Holland was near an end but believes that the loan was hugely beneficial for himself. “It was the first time in my career where
I had to deal with disappointment and not being picked for games, which is the toughest part of anyone’s career,” Francis admits. “You see so many lads not come back from that type of setback but I wasn’t going to let that happen to me. I do give myself credit for moving to Holland on my own at 18, living in an apartment just outside Amsterdam. So many things could have gone wrong but I made it back in one piece. It was a difficult environment that has built me to where I am today.” After returning to England, Francis planned on another loan move but having not played many minutes in the previous six months, he struggled to attract the attention of suitable clubs. Then, in January 2019, Francis and his agent began talks with Wolves about a potential move. Signing for the Wanderers permanently and seeing the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White given the chance in the first team, Francis saw the move as a “good opportunity” to do the same. He originally went into the under 23s setup and shone, captaining the side on several occasions and winning the PL2 division on the final day of the 2018/19 season. It led to the midfielder training with the first team in every session, pinging the ball around with the likes of 2016 UEFA European Championship winner, João Moutinho.
Next season, Francis went on Wolves’ preseason tour to China in what he describes as an “unbelievable experience”. It gave him a taste of what the future could be like if he made it to the top. Having made more good strides, Francis’ progress then halted as an ankle injury at the end of pre-season kept him on the side-lines for three months. It meant the opportunity to break into the Wolves squad was slender and when January came around, Francis went on loan to Swiss side, Grasshoppers.
It started well but after a month, Covid hit… It meant that the Brit abroad now had to scramble to try to get back to the UK.
“I was starting to think I was going to be stuck in Switzerland for six months; I had three flights booked across England to make sure I made it home.”
With no football to play for the foreseeable future, Francis found himself playing a lot of FIFA, a game he says he’s “actually decent at.” A tournament involving the first team and fans saw Francis come up against now Liverpool star Diogo Jota in the final but ended up on the losing side despite taking an early lead, a result he’s still fuming with now.
When this season began, Francis was still a Wolves player but knew the chance he needed wasn’t going to come his way. He made the bold decision to ask for Wolves to pay up the remainder of his contract and become a free agent, hoping that would entice a club to take him on. In Francis’ mind, that call wasn’t a risk as he had planned to move down the divisions to then work his way back up. He spent a month with Luton Town on trial and impressed manager Nathan Jones. However, he couldn’t be guaranteed minutes on the pitch and that was now the key thing for Francis. Harrogate came in and it was the perfect opportunity for the 21-year-old to get some valuable minutes and experience. The move happened very quickly for the former City man and he was thrown into the deep end straight away. “Getting the signing done was a bit of a whirlwind,” Francis explains. “The Gaffer rang me on the Sunday wanting me to be eligible for the Tuesday night against Exeter. I signed the contract Sunday night and then got on the bus at Chesterfield the next day. When Falky [Falkingham] got injured, I came on and that was my opportunity really. To get the win that night definitely helped me settle in.”
Since the Exeter game, Francis has been an ever-present, making himself a key cog in the Town machine. The midfielder scored his first professional goal against Salford this month and Francis hopes that he can now help Simon Weaver’s side establish themselves as a Football League club.
“I’m just giving it my all on the pitch and I think there’s a lot more to come from me, which is exciting. We’ve got a strong squad and I feel like the opportunities are coming now. From a personal perspective, the ideal scenario is that I stay at Harrogate and take them to the Premier League and grow with the club, that’s the dream right now. And in the short term, I just take it game by game and not get too carried away with performances and results. I want to stay with Harrogate for as long as possible. Things are going very well at the moment so I don’t see a need for change.”
