“Investing a lot in…” – Gillingham fan pundit issues verdict on Stockport County transfer race
FLW’s fan pundit has backed Gillingham to sign Ramsgate youngster Louie Procopi
Gillingham and Stockport County are both interested in signing 17-year-old defender Louie Procopi, who has been offered trials by both clubs.
Gillingham’s recent creation of their B Team makes them well-suited to help develop young players like Procopi says FLW fan pundit Lewis Browning.
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Gillingham have been linked alongside League Two promotion rivals Stockport County for 17-year-old Ramsgate defender Louie Procopi.
According to Kent Online, Gills are running the rule over the teenager, who has previously had a trial with Premier League club Brentford.
Stockport are also said to have offered the defender a trial as interest the competition hots up for his signature.
Should Gillingham sign Louie Procopi?
Football League World’s Gillingham fan pundit Lewis Browning believes Procopi is just the sort of high-potential player that the club should be signing after the recent creation of their B Team.
He said: “I’ve not seen him myself but I think it’s a very good move for Gillingham to be interested in.
“We’ve got a B Team now, we’re investing a lot in our youth. Harris has spoken a lot about bringing through youth players and increasing the number of players that are coming from the academy and signing pro contracts.
“Providing a B Team gives them that pathway where they’re not forced to come from academy to first team straight away – as we’ve seen with a lot of the promising young players that have come through the academy in recent years and been able to make that instant step up. Now they’re afforded time in that B Team to try and impress and to try and make the transition to the first team a little bit easier. The likes of Joe Gbode, Sam Gale, Alex Giles.
“There are a few other talented youth players in our academy, the likes of Stan Skipper and Ronald Sithole are rated highly. I’m probably forgetting one or two others.
“We’ve already got that pathway so it’s really important for us to pick up the talent that’s coming through in the Kent non-league scene. We’ve missed out on it a lot in the past. You’ve seen the likes of Matty Godden and Alfie May that we haven’t picked up when we should’ve been front of the queue.
“We’ve done that on occasion and it hasn’t always worked – for example, Adam Birchall coming from Dover back in our title-winning season a decade ago – but we have done that a little bit recently with Ike Orji and Kieron Agbebi.
“It’s good that we’re picking up the non-league talent from around our area because we’re the only Football League club in Kent and we should be front of the queue for these players.
“The pathway is there and if he’s good enough, we should be looking to pick him up to join either our academy or our B Team with the potential of progressing to becoming a local first team player.”
Is Louie Procopi good enough for League Two?
Though the 17-year-old likely isn’t ready for the EFL just yet, this is clearly a signing that Gills would make with the future in mind.
They’re better placed to help young players develop after the creation of their B Team and Procopi is just the sort of high-potential addition that they should be taking a chance on.
Ramsgate boss Ben Smith said: “He’s currently training with Gillingham and he’s had Stockport offering him trials.
“I expect one of these clubs to take him. He’s versatile, he’s athletic, he’s comfortable on the ball.
“I’ll be shocked if someone doesn’t take him.”
