Class Of 2025 Clocks On

2025 scholars and staff

Wanderers have welcomed the new intake of young players beginning their full-time Academy stay with the Whites.

The 13 youngsters, most of whom are starting two-year scholarship deals, will continue their football and educational journey with Wanderers, having progressed through the club’s younger age groups or joined from other club academy set-ups.

They will join Wanderers’ existing second-years as part of the Youth Team squad led by Julian Darby which last season won the U19 EFL Youth Alliance and Lancashire FA Youth Cup and produced nine players who have been rewarded with professional contracts at Wanderers this summer.

The teenagers formally signed on and completed their induction before starting pre-season training this week as the latest crop of young players hoping to continue their development and forge a successful career with the Whites. 

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Dave Gardiner scholar induction

Wanderers’ Head of Academy, Dave Gardiner (above), said: “We are excited to get these players in the building and onto our full-time programme as we look to continue to build upon the recent success of the Academy.

“We now have a fantastic pathway and programme for these players to develop both on and off the pitch. Collectively they have a lot of potential and we are looking forward to maximising their potential as individuals and as a group. 

“This season we are lucky that not only have we got players who have come through our academy system, but we are now also able to attract talented players from other Category 1 academies who joined us during the U16 season. 

“We recognise they will take time to adapt to their new full-time training schedule and also to bond together as a group, but we look forward to seeing how all these players develop over the next two years.”

Gardiner added: “We have also been very fortunate to add two additional players to our second-year scholar cohort and excited to add them to the group after successful trials at the end of last season.

“Luca (Kirkpatrick) and Tomi (Adesena) both have very good technical and physical attributes and we fully expect them to hit the ground running during pre-season.”

Wanderers' new academy arrivals are:

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Qunes Fakhy signing

Quines Fakhy – right winger

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Alfie Healy signing

Alfie Healy – left wing-back

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Louis Evans

Louis Evans – central defender

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Denver Clement signing

Denver Clement – attacking midfielder

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James Shillinglaw signing

James Shillinglaw – goalkeeper

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Sam Hopkinson signing

Sam Hopkinson – central midfielder

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Charlie Quirk signing

Charlie Quirk – central defender

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Rowan Baucutt signing

Rowan Baucutt – central defender

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Levi Kendrick signing

Levi Kendrick – right-back

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Tomi Adesena signing

Tomi Adesina – left-back

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Daniel Ogboru signing

Daniel Ogboru – forward

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Scholar

Oliver Best - central midfielder

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scholar

Lucas Kirkpatrick - central midfielder

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