Leeds United hand professional contract to 17-year-old already captaining Under 21s
Leeds United have handed a professional contract to a 17-year-old midfielder who won the admiration of his peers last season.
Ollie Pickles has signed his first professional deal with the club after captaining the Under 21s earlier this week. The teenager made his Under 18s debut at 15 and scored his first goal for them at 16. Six more followed as he went on to make 46 appearances for the Under 18s. Last season he continued to feature for them and wore the captain's armband on occasion but made an Under 21s breakthrough and featured in eight Premier League 2 appearances. His Under 18 team-mates voted him Players' Player of the Season for his efforts and he was also part of the Under 21s side that lifted the National League Cup. This season he has started all of their fixtures.
On Monday night Pickles wore the captain's armband as the Under 21s last 3-2 at Crystal Palace in Premier League 2 action and a day later Leeds confirmed his new contract.
A club statement read: "Leeds United are pleased to announce that Academy talent Ollie Pickles has penned a first professional deal with the club. The contract will keep the highly rated midfielder with the Whites until 2028, as he continues his development at Thorp Arch.
"After captaining the Under-18s side throughout the majority of last campaign, so far this season the 17-year-old has started every single match for Scott Gardner’s Under-21s team across all competitions. This included impressing against senior opposition in Port Vale and Scunthorpe United in the Vertu Trophy and National League Cup respectively, and Pickles also skippered the team for the first time as they faced Crystal Palace U21s away from home on Monday evening.
"Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Ollie on signing a first professional deal and we look forward to seeing his continued development at Thorp Arch."
Last week Leeds confirmed that versatile defensive prospect Alfie Cresswell had signed a new contract. First team boss Daniel Farke has called youth development one of the 'cornerstones' of the club's philosophy. Speaking last week after Cresswell signed his deal the German expressed his hope that talented youngsters will make it all the way to the senior ranks.
"If they then one day make the step into being a proper member of the first team, then even better - we can save some transfer fee, and it's always better in terms of identification," he said. "If not, then we have to create value."