Thierry Rohart-Brown, a midfielder for Reading, has been signed by Southampton to a long-term contract.
The 16-year-old’s transfer to the Championship team has now been finalized after extensive negotiations between the two teams that stretch back to the summer transfer window.
The midfielder has completed a move to Southampton’s U18s, which has finally concluded the deal. This transfer has been ongoing since July, with Dom Ballard making the loan switch to the League One side as part of the transfer package.
Ballard has already made seven appearances for Reading since joining on loan on deadline day. During this time, the 18-year-old has managed three goals and two assists with four of the contributions coming in a single EFL Trophy match.
After a tough start, Russell Martin’s side currently sit fifth in the Championship standings, winning six of their opening 12 matches in the division and travel to Preston North End on Wednesday evening with the hopes of closing the gap on the top two sides.
The midfielder has joined the Saints on a youth scholarship contract, intending to turn it into a professional deal should he be successful in impressing the club’s senior staff members.
Upon signing for the club, academy director Andy Goldie stated…
“We are excited to welcome Thierry and his family to the Academy. After an extensive process by Jack Chapman, Simon Jones and our scouting team, Thierry was our top target given his versatility across our midfield profiles and potential for growth, which we look forward to supporting him with over the coming years.
“Thanks must also go to Mark Bowen and Michael Gilks at Reading, who have been incredibly supportive and professional throughout the process.”
Reporter’s view
Southampton possesses a very successful youth structure, which has overseen the rise of several players such as Gareth Bale, James Ward-Prowse and Luke Shaw and would have been a major factor behind Rohart-Brown’s decision to join the club.
The news will be disappointing to Reading because they have lost another promising young player because of their off-field problems at the time of writing. It is also unknown how successful the youngster will be in his new environment.
