Exeter City should resist transfer temptation on academy product: View | OneFootball

Pedro Borges has come on leaps and bounds and it's time for Gary Caldwell to get him more first-team game time.

Key Takeaways

Of the current crop of youngsters at Exeter City, Pedro Borges certainly looks like one of the more exciting players.

The attack-minded midfielder has an amazing story which started in Porto with Liga Portugal side Boavista, just like his father Sandro, who had to retire after losing his lower left leg in a car crash.

Borges left Boavista in 2019 before heading to England where he rocked up at Yeovil Town, who were in the National League at the time.

Financial and on-pitch crises meant the Glovers closed their academy as they slumped into the National League South and the midfielder ended up on trial at Exeter City, where he was quickly snapped up and signed professional terms.

It’s not your average path into the Grecians’ much-heralded academy system but it’s one City fans will surely be grateful for in the coming years.

Borges looks a proper player and has featured for the first team despite having only just turned 19 in the summer.

Pedro Borges ready to make the step up

In his appearances before the 2024/25 season, he had looked like a kid, he was clearly very slight with plenty of development left to do physically.

But when he started City’s Carabao Cup loss to Walsall he looked a different beast and the Portuguese has bulked out over the last few months.

He performed well, too, roaming around in the number 10 position as City bossed the first half before they were made to rue missed chances with an exit from the competition on penalties.

City fans were rightly excited by Borges’ display and, with physicality added to his speed and technical quality on the ball, there’s a belief there that he can and should feature for the first team on a regular basis this season.

While City boss Caldwell is hopeful for Borges’ progression, he clearly thinks there’s more to do.

Speaking after the Portuguese’s first-team debut in 2023, Caldwell said: “Pedro was making his debut and he did well, showed enthusiasm, at times was a bit excited, but it is great that he has it under his belt and will work hard in training to get more [out of him].

“They [Borges and Sonny Cox] have earned their opportunities with their performances on merit and I believe they have a big future at this football club, and hope they will get more game time.”

Pedro Borges has maverick quality

His quality is clear and he’s got that maverick element about him that you just can’t teach. Borges’ assist for Luke Harris’ goal of the season in 2023/24 was absolutely sublime and is the kind of thing you dream of pulling off as a kid.

There is naturally the temptation to loan out City’s young stars and Borges has already spent time at Plymouth Parkway, Tiverton, and Dorchester Town.

This year feels like it should be the one where he stays around the first team and is given the chance to break into the starting XI.

He’s featured in all three match day squads at the time of writing, playing in 79 of the 270 minutes available to him, and the clamour is growing from the St James Park faithful to unleash the teenager on League One so we can see what he can do.

City's almost 500-game streak of having an academy player in the starting XI recently came to an end but with Borges developing at a pace, a new run could be on the horizon.