Everton have announced the signing of Burton Albion u21 defender Will Tamen and fans of the Staffordshire side think he is going to the top.
Tamen made his senior debut against Everton u21s in the EFL Trophy in a 2-0 victory over Everton’s young side and he now joins the club for an undisclosed fee.
Tamen will initially join Everton’s u21 side where he will be developed by Paul Tait. He will be some way off the first team initially with Jarred Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate all more senior players in his position.
However, David, a 27-year-old Burton Albion season ticket holder has told TheToffees.Online that Everton could have signed a real gem.
He says: “Will is a big lad, and at 18 is very physical. He’s only played a couple of times for the senior team, but when he has, he has been comfortable on the ball, and commanding in the air. With growth and development around him he will flourish, and I’ve said since he made his senior debut that he will go on to big things.”
Tamen was highly rated at the club, making his first team league debut last year at the age of just 18. While Burton lost that game 4-0 his performance was praised by fans at the time and he spent the end of last season on loan at Mickleover in the seventh tier of English football to get more first team experience.
A leader at youth age groups, Tamen was captain of Burton’s development squad and fans of Mickleover have also queued up to praise his performances, with one calling the move ‘well deserved’.
Burton academy manager, Keith Gilroy said of Tamen: “The loan was perfect for Will as it was essential for us to get him out on loan once his professional contract was secured.
“His performances have been exceptional and what that’s given him is the confidence to perform in a physical environment and also the experience of already being exposed to men’s football at his age.”
After Tamen picked up the Scholar of the Year award at the Burton academy, Gilroy said: “(he’s a) fantastic young person first and foremost, thoroughly deserved from his time since joining BAFC Academy. Excited to see his progress moving forward.”
The move to sign Will Tamen will draw obvious parallels with Jarred Branthwaite but speaks more about Kevin Thelwell’s new strategy for the u21s. The club is now recruiting in areas where it is short and lowering the average age of the u21s, where often the club has held on to players long into their 20s.
The club adds Tamen to a group of new signings that includes ex-AC Milan striker Kingsford Boakye, Welsh u21 international Omari Benjamin from Arsenal and highly rated Linfield striker Braiden Graham, who the club fought off competition from Brighton to secure.
The signings will join talented youngsters such as Romain Dixon and Harrison Armstrong this year in what promises to be a strong group in the Premier League 2.
Tait thinks Everton also have a strong group of u18s coming through this year. He said: “There are lads from the Under-18s – the first-year pros from last season – who have already played with us a bit. The likes of Callum Bates, Jacob Beaumont-Clark, Martin Sherif and Coby Ebere.”
“There’s George (Pickford) too. Fraser (Barnsley) and George are the main Under-21 keepers, but the older lads – like Billy Crellin and Harry Tyrer – will come down when they need games.”
The u21s play their first league game on Friday (7pm BST), when they take on Blackburn Rovers Under-21s at The Big Help Stadium in Southport.