Manchester City are confident of finalising the signing of AFC Wimbledon youth goalkeeper Thorsten ‘Spike’ Brits, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Premier League club are confident of completing the signing of the player in the coming days, as news broke on Saturday that the Cityzens led the race for the highly sought after talent.
They look to beat a number of clubs to the acquisition of the young goalkeeper, with Brentford also interested in the 15-year-old.
Who is Spike Brits?
The young goalkeeper currently plying his trade with Wimbledon’s youth academy, the 15-year-old has represented his country at international under-16 level. Last month Romano reported that two Premier League clubs were chasing Brits, as City looked to do battle with Brentford for his signature.
His talents, which have seen him rise through the youth ranks at AFC Wimbledon into the under 18’s setup have impressed many, as it was reported earlier in the year the player was on the radar of Manchester United and Tottenham.
City’s aggressive recruitment
While Brentford is certainly an option for the youngster, City will be much more aggressive with their recruitment, as we have seen in the past. They boast one of the top development programmes in the country and have done for many years, something which has seen the likes of Jadon Sancho who now plays on the red side of Manchester and has represented England in major tournaments. As well as this, it has seen the likes of Cole Palmer, who has enjoyed stints in Pep Guardiola’s first team.
It is difficult to see the youngster resist the sway of Manchester City as they come knocking on his door.
Big decisions ahead
Of course, as it is with any player, it is a big decision for Brits to make regarding his future and it certainly seems best for his future given the options on the table. The frustration will be felt by Wimbledon however, as due to his age, they will not have any say in keeping their young talent.
At this time it is unclear whether they will receive anything financially as part of this deal, however, this could soften the blow and those funds could be used in furthering their academy and develop more young talents, who could maybe potentially surpass the talent Brits has at this present time.
What’s been said?
Romano has claimed that the Premier League champions are hopeful of completing the deal in the coming days as they look to bolster their youth system. Wimbledon’s youth has promoted some top players into their first team in recent years, so it remains no surprise that top clubs are now taking interest in players who are coming through the youth ranks. And with the levels that the youngster has been able to perform at, this move is well deserved.
Writers View
As mentioned above, the 15-year-old is already very impressive, and it is no surprise to see a top club come in for him, especially one that is keen to boost their youth ranks and promote youth into their first team in the future.
It would certainly be no surprise to see “Spike” in the City first team for some cup fixtures in the coming seasons.
