Bolton Wanderers are delighted to confirm that three of their Academy players have been awarded first professional contracts.
Defender Noah Halford and midfielder Sonny Sharples have signed deals to extend their stay with the Whites and move into the professional ranks.
And 17-year-old Sam Inwood (above) has also agreed a three-year professional contract with the club.
In addition, right-sided defender Wes Frimpong will move up to the B Team squad next season after activating a clause in his scholarship agreement to receive a first-year professional contract.
Like Frimpong, Inwood, Halford and Sharples have all progressed through the Wanderers’ Academy for various lengths of their fledgling careers and as well as playing for the Whites’ Youth Team have also featured for the B Team and trained with Wanderers’ first-team squad.
Inwood, a left-sided defender or wing-back who has also trained with the Republic of Ireland U19 squad, has been given a professional contract at the end of his first year as a scholar with Wanderers and will sign up until June, 2026.
Halford and Sharples (above), who are both 18, have signed one-year deals with an option of a further 12 months after nearing the end of their two-year scholarship deals as Wanderers continue to develop a pathway for homegrown young players to progress with the club.
Wanderers’ Head of Academy, Dave Gardiner, said: “It’s fantastic for the Academy to see the three boys come through, all with different journeys.
“We’ve known Sonny since he was under-8s. He left us for a while but he came back and has really progressed, so he’s deservedly got his contract.
“Noah joined us at the end of his under-14 year and has come on leaps and bounds with great potential.
“And Sam is a really versatile player who came half-way through his youth phase who can play in a number of positions and it’s really exciting to see how far we can take him with the pathway we’ve got at the club now.”
Meanwhile, Wanderers will not be taking up options on second-year scholars Adam Beardsworth, Joe Brown, Abdul Kamara, Danny Jones and Joel Burgess and Wanderers would like to thank them for their contribution with the Whites and wish them well in their future careers.
Pictured top (left to right): Sam Inwood, Youth Team Coach Julian Darby, Sonny Sharples, Head of Academy Dave Gardiner, Noah Halford