The curious case of Brad Young and why Leicester City move is a great piece of business by Hartlepool United

Premier League side Leicester City have fought off competition from the likes of Chelsea and several other top flight heavyweights to secure the signing of 19-year-old goalkeeper Brad Young from Hartlepool United.

A transfer that made sense for all parties. For Young, it’s a dream Premier League move at just 19.

For Leicester, they are securing an England under-19 international who still has a 15+ year career ahead of him for a potentially nominal fee from their perspective. And for Pools, they’re cashing in on a player who hadn’t made his senior debut for the club.

In that lies the crux of the intrigue behind this deal. Since it was announced, people from Leicester have been in touch to ask about what to expect from their latest arrival.

The truth is, I’m not entirely sure.

The teenage goalkeeper has had a mythical quality at Pools over the past two seasons – a wonderkid tipped for greatness and on the radar of England and Premier League giants despite playing football on loan at Blyth Spartans and Billingham Town.

Young has always had an air of confidence about him when playing in pre-season matches and youth team matches for Pools but few Poolies will have seen the teenager in competitive action.

Reports from Blyth and Billingham were largely positive – but when a Premier League side make a move, there is an assumption that the player in question is at least getting a look in at his parent club.

The closest he got to first team action was being named on the bench following an injury to Ben Killip and loan restrictions preventing Middlesbrough goalkeeper Brad James from being named in the squad.

It’s a shame we never got the chance to see Young in competitive action for Pools but he’s still a player whose career we’ll be supporting and monitoring with interest.

And it’s a great move for Pools financially. Officially undisclosed though a six-figure fee and sell-on bonus had previously been touted even before he agreed a new deal at Victoria Park last October.

Just what Pools needed to kick-off their recruitment drive ahead of the new League Two season.

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