Liverpool have agreed a compensation fee to sign goalkeeper Ben Winterbottom from Blackburn Rovers, according to Football Insider.
The reputable football news site reports that the Reds have agreed £350,000 figure with the Championship club in order to cover the development costs of the “rising star” coming onto the books.
The report adds that Liverpool had to sign Luca Ashby-Hammond from Fulham before their FA Youth Cup semi-final against Watford due to under-18s goalkeeper Dan Atherton being too young to compete.
Winterbottom will now join the likes of Atherton and Vitezslav Jaros for spot in the under-18s team.
OPINION
To be honest, paying a £350,000 fee will not mean too much to a club like Liverpool. At the moment, it looks like Winterbottom is likely to be third choice for the under-18s, so he is unlikely to get much game time at the moment. Jaros is currently their number one and Winterbottom would have to impress a lot if he is to usurp him from that role. Nevertheless, paying this compensation fee was only fair on Blackburn. They have just lost one of their young prospects to a big Premier League club, something which happens often. Clubs like Blackburn often lose their younger players to clubs like Liverpool and this is a shame – so it is only right that a compensation fee was paid to them. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Winterbottom will thrive learning at a club like Liverpool, even if the competition will no doubt be rife for a starting spot.
