Charlton signing protects youth policy
13 April 2012
Charlton have signed one of their 17-year-old academy players on a three-and-a-half year professional contract to prevent him being poached.
The club offered former England Under-16 captain Stacy Long the deal after losing Jermain Defoe and Jlloyd Samuel from its youth set-up to West Ham and Aston Villa respectively in the last four years and the south London club is determined not to lose out on valuable young players again.