Rovers secure record academy fee for Kyrie
BRISTOL Rovers have sold teenage starlet Kyrie Pierre to Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, which the club claim is a record for an academy player.
The 15-year-old playmaker, who is studying for his GCSEs at Bristol Metropolitan Academy, will move to Birmingham after impressing Villa scouts during his performances for Rovers’ Under-18s side.
Pierre, from Fishponds, who started his football career at Keynsham Town and joined Rovers at the age of nine, will join the Under-18s set-up at Villa under academy manager Mark Harrison.
Rovers’ previous record for an academy player was the £200,000 plus add-ons they earned for the sale of Scott Sinclair in 2005.
“’Kyrie is a fantastic young man and a very capable player and everyone at the academy is delighted for him to be joining such a historic football club,” said Rovers academy manager Chris Hargreaves.
“Having spoken to Mark Harrison at Aston Villa, we wanted to allow Kyrie and his family the opportunity to speak to the club.
“Both Mark and I have built a good relationship and look forward to working together over the coming years.
“The move works for all parties, primarily of course for the player and his family, and also for the academy and Bristol Rovers.
“This is a record fee for our academy and means that the academy can look to become more sustainable and fit the brief of producing high-quality players that can play in our first team, while being realistic that in a competitive market place, players may have the opportunity to develop at Premier League clubs.
“It is all about the player in these situations and we wish Kyrie and his family the best of luck going forward and we will be keeping a keen eye on his progression.”
Pierre follows in the footsteps of fellow Rovers academy players Scott Sinclair, Matt Macey and Donovan Wilson, who made major moves to clubs further up the football pyramid while still in their midteens.
In 2005, Sinclair was signed by Chelsea at the age of 16, having already made his first-team debut. The winger has gone on to enjoy a hugely successful career at Celtic and is now part of the Preston squad in the Championship.
Rovers sold academy goalkeeper Matt Macey to Arsenal in 2013, when he was 18 after a successful trial, with interest across England. Macey joined Hibernian in January and has made three appearances for the Edinburgh club.
Yate-born Wilson was 17 when he swapped the Mem for Molineux, joining Wolves in the Championship in 2015, but the young forward struggled to make an impact in the Midlands and is now at nonLeague Sutton on loan from Bath City.