A club's academy should develop players whose skills fit the first-team game model — not generic footballers, but specifically the profiles the first team needs. This requires defining the game model's player profiles at each position, comparing them to current academy players' development trajectories, and adjusting development programs to close the gap. Without this alignment, clubs develop players who are then sold because they don't fit, while recruiting externally for skills that could have been developed internally.
Process: (1) define first-team game model skill requirements by position; (2) build equivalent skill metrics for academy players; (3) project development trajectories forward to first-team age (18-21); (4) identify players whose trajectory aligns with model requirements; (5) adapt coaching programs for players close to the required profile. The Red Bull model (consistent game model across all clubs in the organization) is the extreme version — every player in every academy is being developed for the same system.