Thursday, 10th October, 2013
Stoke City have won the race for talented Belgian starlet Julien Ngoy on a youth deal, despite the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid showing an interest.
Already capped at Belgium's youth level, 15-year-old Ngoy has been attracting a host of major European clubs, with the list also including Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Monaco, Manchester City and Chelsea.
The player's preference was understood to be for England, and Damien Francis, a representative of the agency which handles the youngster, today revealed the Potters had snapped up Ngoy on a youth deal.
In an exclusive interview with Inside Futbol, Francis said: "He's signed for Stoke. He's there in the youth team right now.
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"He's not in the first team yet, only in the youth team. He's started well so we're just going to see how he progresses and gets on. In Belgium, he plays for the national team so we've got high hopes for him."
Having played for Belgium's Under-16s already, the youngster has seen many of his suitors turn out on scouting missions, but it was Stoke that eventually got him on a trial earlier this year.
When asked if he saw Ngoy drafted in at one of the top clubs in Europe in the future, Francis added: "I hope that for him, but we're taking it one step at a time.
"Time will tell [if he joins a top club]. For a 15-year-old he's very talented. If he keeps his feet on the ground and works hard, the sky's the limit for him.
"He's a young lad, so he's got to keep his feet on the ground, and work hard in order to make it. He's done nothing in the game, in reality, because he's got a long career ahead of him."
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