Just how golden will my golden generation be?

[Outsider23]

I've generally had pretty bad luck with youth intakes. It seems like every time December rolls around I check my inbox and see a giant wall of yellow text and immediately know that the HOYD is telling me that this group of players is poor and that I shouldn't expect much.

I was bracing myself for something similar in my latest save, but the preview is really good, in fact, it's the best I've ever seen, but I'm not posting about it to brag. I'm a bit worried actually. We've all seen five star prospects turn into two star fringe players and bitter experience has taught me that, in this game, you should never count your chickens before they've hatched. What I'm wondering is: should I get my hopes up? Am I risking Disappointment? 

How wrong can the HOYD be in these previews? Also, I am in my first season in the Spanish second tier so the squad is bad, does that mean that this latest generation is only "golden" compared to the scrubs I have currently? Finally: can other teams poach them before the intake happens?

[FrazT]

There are far too many factors that affect young player's development for you to be too worried at this stage one way or the other.  The HOYD, depending on his attributes should give you a reasonably accurate assessment of the new player's abilities, but they can be wrong on one or two of them.  As far as I know their assessment will be based on the standard that your team will be playing in and I have never seen any poaching between the preview and the signing on.