City are heading in White direction
COVENTRY City have been strongly linked with interest in former Leeds United winger Billy Whitehouse.
The 22-year-old, who started out at his home town club Doncaster Rovers, is considered to be one of the hottest prospects in non-league after dropping down to the Northern Premier League to get his career going again.
Since moving to EvoStik Division One East team Tadcaster Albion, the right winger, who is described as tidy and clever on the ball, has scored nine goals and provided an impressive 19 assists already this season.
Sources close to Albion claim the Sky Blues are in negotiations to sign the player.
City have a recent record of plucking players from non-league for the club’s development squad. Head of recruitment Chris Badlan targeted and signed several players last summer to boost Jason Farndon’s Under-23s with a view to providing a string of players capable of developing and stepping up to the first team in time. Midfielder Bouwe Bosma was signed from Lewes FC of the Isthmian League, former Crystal Palace ‘wonder kid’ Reise Allassani joined from Dulwich Hamlet, left-back Sam McCallum from Herne Bay, winger Dexter Walters from Tamworth and centre-half Morgan Williams from Mickleover Sports. Whitehouse graduated from Doncaster Rovers’ Academy in 2014 when he signed professional forms at the Keepmoat Stadium, going on to make his senior debut for the club that season. Also able to play as a full-back, he made seven appearances, including four League One showings. One of those was on Boxing Day when he went on as a late substitute in the 2-0 home win over the Sky Blues. He made four appearances the following season before being loaned out to Halifax Town in the National League when he scored his first senior goal.
He only played two games for the nonleague side, however, and then had another short-lived loan at Guiseley when he played just one game.
In the summer of 2016 he was released by Doncaster but Leeds United surprised many by signing him up on a one year contract, joining the development squad.
He was handed one appearance in the first team by former manager Garry Monk, playing against Sutton United in a 1-0 FA Cup defeat in January 2017.
He failed to make it into the first-team again before being released at the end of the season.
Whitehouse joined non-league Alfreton Town the following August but just one month later he left, joining Shaw Lane of the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
Then, in January, he moved on again – joining Tadcaster Albion in the division below where he finally appears to have settled into a run of games and some decent form.
City have a recent record of plucking players from non-league for the club’s development squad.