Shrewsbury Town expecting to tie up deals for starlets
Five of Shrewsbury Town’s youth-team graduates are expected to sign their first professional contracts soon.
Ryan Sears, Callum Roberts, George Hughes, Chris Gallagher and John McAtee were all offered terms.
And first-team boss Paul Hurst, who spoke to the group two weeks ago, hopes to have them as part of his squad for 2017/18.
“We’ve had contact with them,” said first-team boss Paul Hurst, speaking to shrewsweb.com. “I’m not sure whether one or two might have signed their contracts with the club separately, but I expect them all to be done in the next week or so.”
Despite the expectation of positive news, Hurst is becoming concerned that youngsters are having their heads ‘filled with so much rubbish’.
“I’m getting more disillusioned and frustrated by the things that I hear from young players and agents,” he added. “It’s an opportunity. It’s not about money at this stage. It’s about an opportunity to become a professional footballer. They’ve done enough to be offered that opportunity, but then it’s up to them.
“Without putting the lads down, we haven’t got the next Messi on our hands, but they are lads that might go on and be able to have a career.
“This is not just our lads, this is across the board. Unfortunately, their heads get filled with so much rubbish and I’m sure there will be some along the way that lose opportunities because of taking bad advice.
“Sometimes clubs can take advantage of people, but I don’t want to be that person. You just want people to understand what it is they are getting the chance to do and if they don’t they need their heads banging together.”
