Youngster agrees scholarship agreement with Canaries
Highly-rated teenage scholar Tyler Reading has signed for Premier League Norwich City.
In a move that cements the Town’s pedigree for producing young talent even further, the deal, agreed last week, sees Tyler join Norwich on a two-year scholarship agreement, for an undisclosed fee.
Head of Youth Operations, Matt Stannard told lutontown.co.uk: “Whilst it is our ultimate aim to push players all the way through our development programme, we would never stand in the way of a player who is offered the opportunity to move onto a bigger club.
“Obviously, the deal has to be right for all parties and, we as a Club would always ensure the welfare and future development of the child before entering into discussions with any club. We felt in this instance that this was the right move for Tyler and Luton Town Football Club.”
Tyler was one of 10 players previously offered pre-scholar agreements when the club were relegated into the Conference. These contracts are given out to players in the Under-15/16 season who the club would like to tie down until the end of their Under-18 season. Each club running an apprenticeship scheme alongside the Football League can register up to 18 players for their youth team squads and draw funding from League Football Education. Tyler’s switch to Norwich will now open up a place for Craig King who was attracting a lot of interest from bigger clubs. Craig has since agreed to sign for the next two years.
Town Academy Manager Wayne Turner was delighted with the signing of Craig. “We were stuck between a rock and a hard place with this decision,” said Turner. “They are both talented goalkeepers and we didn’t want to lose either of them. We had long discussions with all the staff and felt that this was the best decision for the Club. This way, we have allowed Tyler to pursue his career and gained a talented goalkeeper in Craig.
“We would like to wish Tyler every success at his new club as he seeks to pursue his career at a Premier League club.”
The agreement further highlights the Town’s proud history of producing young talent. The club were placed 141st in Europe, according to a report in December, when it comes to producing footballers for the top four European leagues. A feat the club wish to build on moving forward.