SCHOLARS Thierry Latty-Fairweather, Luke Redfern, Ben McLean and Daniel Moore have put pen to paper on professional contracts with the club.
All four players have signed one-year deals and will be part of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s first team squad when they return for pre-season training.
Birmingham-born Latty-Fairweather and Nottingham-born McLean have both experienced similar journeys prior to joining the club, having each spent three years in the Nottingham Forest Academy setup.
Last season’s youth team captain Luke Redfern is also a defender who has put pen-to-paper on a professional deal with the Brewers. The Ashby-born player joined the club at Foundation Phase and has continued his journey to progress all the way through the Academy.
Dan Moore is a goalkeeper that has only recently joined the Brewers from Bedworth United. During his short spell with the scholars, the young keeper has done enough to impress the coaches in the Academy setup, as well as the club’s Head of Goalkeeping, Andy Quy.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, said: “It gives a pathway to the Academy lads. We are willing to take them if they are good enough and that gives them hope and a chance to get into the first team.
“We have seen a few come through in the past and we want to keep that line going. They will get opportunities and then it’s up to them to take them. We believe they have the potential and it’s now up to them to turn that potential into reality.
“We know what kind of club we are here, and it’s important to bring young players through – but they have to be good enough and have to add something to the team otherwise you are doing it for the sake of doing it. We believe these four boys could be good enough.”
Head of Academy, Dan Robinson, said: “This time of the year is always exciting when we get to speak to the first team manager about players that we believe are going to progress through to help the first team.
“We’re delighted for the four boys that have progressed through. All our young scholars have had the opportunity to train with the first team. They’ve had the opportunity to be under the eye of the manager and get that experience of working alongside the senior pros.
“All four have grabbed their chances and have had a great year with the under 18s, which included getting to the last sixteen of the FA Youth Cup – something that has brought them into the spotlight as well.”
Hear more from our four new professionals later this week, including video interviews on iFollow Brewers.