Attacking midfielder James Sanderson has signed his first professional contract with the club.
The 17-year-old, who recently rejoined our academy following a spell in the grassroots game, has seized his opportunity to impress at first-team level and has been rewarded with a deal until June 2026.
After scoring on his debut against Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup, Sanderson went on to make his EFL bow in our 3-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers and has featured regularly in squads ever since.
After signing his deal, he said: “Football is all I’ve ever wanted to do, so it’s an amazing feeling to be able to carry that on.
“My family and friends are over the moon for me, especially my dad who has travelled all over the country to support my efforts to become a professional footballer.
“Being involved in the first team has been an amazing experience and I’ve learned so much – it’s like a whole new sport to me. All the lads have been brilliant, helping me as much as they can.
“I want to say a big thank you to all the academy staff – Gavin Mee, who played a big part in me earning a scholarship, academy manager Dan Leivers for helping me return to the club and Tigran Tadevosyan, our Under 18s manager, who put my name forward to train with the first team. They’ve all played a massive part.”
Richard Montague, who sits on our board and leads on recruitment, added: “Everyone at Meadow Lane is delighted for James, who has shown great promise both in training and matches.
“We’re very excited by his potential and look forward to watching his continued development.”
