Millwall have confirmed the signing of former Preston North End youngster Adam Mayor, paying a six-figure fee to land him from Morecambe.
The lack of progression from youth team to first team at PNE has been a concern for a while now.
There have been a smattering of debuts for the likes of Noah Mawene and Kaedyn Kamara, but regular starts have been hard to come by from the youth setup.
Even Kian Best, who started the season in Ryan Lowe’s starting XI, has struggled for action of late.
Jacob Slater brought in some cash with his move to Brighton and Hove Albion last summer but hype over Mikey O’Neill has died down and Lewis Leigh is out of contract in the summer.
PNE fans have been left frustrated ever since seeing Tyrhys Dolan leave the club for nothing in 2020, paving the way for him to become a star at Blackburn Rovers.
That frustration may only build after a Championship rival pounced to sign a talent who left North End as a kid…
Millwall snap up former PNE youngster Adam Mayor
Millwall have today announced the signing of former North End youngster Adam Mayor, landing him on a ‘long-term contract’.
Mayor hails from Liverpool and started out with Tranmere Rovers before joining the North End ranks.
The 18-year-old has really dazzled for Morecambe though, racking up seven goals and eight assists in 67 first-team appearances.
Primarily a left winger, Mayor has bagged three goals and five assists in 23 League Two games this term.
Shrimps academy manager Stewart Drummond – born in Preston – has talked up Mayor and the ‘speed and power’ he possessed upon leaving North End.
“Adam joined us at U16’s, and we retained him as a third year scholar to give him the time to develop and get used to open age football. Players develop at different rates, but when Adam came to us from Preston, he was physically developed and had a good profile with his speed and power. His confidence was the stumbling block at that point and he didn’t back himself in games. He needed to be a bit more positive when in possession of the ball, and once he got over that, we all saw a real improvement in his overall game,” said Drummond.
Mayor left North End at 16 and has developed quickly at Morecambe, so much so that Millwall have now brought him up to the Championship.
The South London Press claim that Millwall are paying around £300,000 for Mayor having been impressed with his talent and potential at Morecambe.
This is just another case of PNE letting a young player go and seeing them shine elsewhere, with Mayor now potentially in line to play against North End for years to come.
We can hardly blame North End fans for being annoyed at seeing a former PNE talent move to a Championship club, and Mayor’s development will be fascinating to track as he could easily be another Dolan.