Albion have signed 17-year-old goalkeeper Christian Walton from Plymouth Argyle on a long-term contract.
The highly-rated stopper attracted attention from a host of clubs but committed his future to Seagulls this afternoon following a successful trial period.
First-year scholar Walton will complete his apprentice years at Brighton and turn professional on a three-year contract during the summer of 2013.
Albion goalkeeper coach Andy Beasley has been impressed by Walton’s approach to the game and is looking forward to developing him as a player.
He told seagulls.co.uk, “I’m delighted to get him signed up. The scouting system did a great job in highlighting him so I went to watch him and straight away I was impressed by him.
“His mannerisms and the way he played the game just showed his potential. We’re looking at all sorts of things; his handling and kicking is very good. But the thing that really stood out to me was the way he trained and warmed up ahead of a game.
“You could see how professional he already was as a young lad and then he produced in a game and that’s what you want to see in a young boy. He is dedicated to making himself right to play in the game.
“Bringing players in like Christian gives you that bit of excitement and you want to see him grow. He’s very level headed and I’m looking forward to seeing him flourish.”
Walton joined The Pilgrims as a ten-year-old and is delighted to make the move into the Championship with the Seagulls.
“It’s a great opportunity for me. I just want to knuckle down, work hard and hopefully one day I will break into the first-team squad.
“I was at the Amex on Tuesday night to watch Brighton play Blackburn and I liked the way the team played, and with the training ground on the way it’s a great opportunity for me.
“Tomasz Kuszczak is a great keeper and has a lot of experience so I’m looking forward to learning off him and the other senior keepers at the club.*
"I learned a lot during the short time that I was on trial and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a club on the up and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to come here.”
Head of football operations David Burke added, “We’ve brought in some very talented young players during the past few months and the arrival of Christian again highlights the positive strides we are making for the future.
“Rohan Ince, Emil Asmundsson and Vitalijs Maksimenko all have a lot of potential so we looking forward to helping them develop, and Christian is exactly the same.
“He will join our group of young goalkeepers and the process of them training together and competing for places in the various squads will be beneficial to all of them in their goal to becoming the number one choice goalkeeper.”
Original article
The highly-rated stopper attracted attention from a host of clubs but committed his future to Seagulls this afternoon following a successful trial period.
First-year scholar Walton will complete his apprentice years at Brighton and turn professional on a three-year contract during the summer of 2013.
Albion goalkeeper coach Andy Beasley has been impressed by Walton’s approach to the game and is looking forward to developing him as a player.
He told seagulls.co.uk, “I’m delighted to get him signed up. The scouting system did a great job in highlighting him so I went to watch him and straight away I was impressed by him.
“His mannerisms and the way he played the game just showed his potential. We’re looking at all sorts of things; his handling and kicking is very good. But the thing that really stood out to me was the way he trained and warmed up ahead of a game.
“You could see how professional he already was as a young lad and then he produced in a game and that’s what you want to see in a young boy. He is dedicated to making himself right to play in the game.
“Bringing players in like Christian gives you that bit of excitement and you want to see him grow. He’s very level headed and I’m looking forward to seeing him flourish.”
Walton joined The Pilgrims as a ten-year-old and is delighted to make the move into the Championship with the Seagulls.
“It’s a great opportunity for me. I just want to knuckle down, work hard and hopefully one day I will break into the first-team squad.
“I was at the Amex on Tuesday night to watch Brighton play Blackburn and I liked the way the team played, and with the training ground on the way it’s a great opportunity for me.
“Tomasz Kuszczak is a great keeper and has a lot of experience so I’m looking forward to learning off him and the other senior keepers at the club.*
"I learned a lot during the short time that I was on trial and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a club on the up and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to come here.”
Head of football operations David Burke added, “We’ve brought in some very talented young players during the past few months and the arrival of Christian again highlights the positive strides we are making for the future.
“Rohan Ince, Emil Asmundsson and Vitalijs Maksimenko all have a lot of potential so we looking forward to helping them develop, and Christian is exactly the same.
“He will join our group of young goalkeepers and the process of them training together and competing for places in the various squads will be beneficial to all of them in their goal to becoming the number one choice goalkeeper.”
Original article