Prolific striker Braiden Graham has signed a three-year contract with Everton shortly after his 17th birthday.
The news will not come as a surprise to many who have followed Everton u18s this year. The Northern Irish u18 international signed for Everton from Linfield in the summer after the Toffees fought off interest from Brighton to secure his signature.
By that point he had already appeared and scored for Linfield at the age of 16 and was a regular in the Northern Ireland under age groups. It was a major coup for Everton and he has hit the ground running since linking up with u18s manager Leighton Baines’ squad.
He scored a late winner on his debut in a 2-1 victory over Stoke City u18s and followed it up with another in a 4-2 Premier Cup win away at Southampton. He has gone on to score seven in just eight games for the u18s, linking up well with fellow new signing Ceiran Loney, who the club recruited from Partick Thistle in the summer.
As Graham turned 17 the club was able to offer him a pro deal and it has moved quickly to secure his future or risk losing him for a small tribunal fee next year when his youth deal ran out.
It is the second time in as many months Everton have secured the future of a top prospect. England u18 goalkeeper Douglass Lukjanciks was subject of transfer speculation while just 16, with Manchester City rumoured to be willing to pay £10m to bring him to the club. Instead, he signed a deal with Everton in October to extend his contract.
Harrison Armstrong, who has broken into the first team at just 17 years old, signed a pro deal last season after passing the age milestone and it highlights a key strategy for Everton as they overhaul the academy structure.
The club has previously struggled to hold on to talented academy players, with left-back Thierry Small choosing to refuse a contract and sign for Southampton shortly after becoming the club’s youngest ever player. Isaac Price, who scored a hat trick for Northern Ireland last international break, also chose to leave the club to join Standard Leige in Belgium. Further back Mohammed Ali-Cho, a talented winger from the PSG academy, left Everton to sign for Angers. He is now starring for Real Socieded.
It seems Kevin Thelwell’s 150-point club overhaul and massive academy recruitment drive means Everton are now seeking to tie down talented youngsters as early as possible rather than risk them walking away for nominal fees. By offering contracts it also helps to secure higher tribunal fees if young players turn down the offer.
The signing of one of the UK’s most talented strikers is a sign the club is improving its long term planning and developing a pathway to the first team for talented youngsters.