Sign up NOW to get daily Sky Blues news straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Premier League side Everton FC have snapped up young Coventry City striker Bassala Sambou after he rejected a new contract with the Sky Blues.

The youngster has spent the last few weeks training with Everton at Finch Farm and posted a picture earlier today at the club's training ground after the deal was agreed.

Newcastle United were also rumoured to be watching the highly-rated 18-year-old but he has now decided to continue his career with the Toffees after refusing to sign a professional deal with Coventry.

Sambou caught the eye with 25 goals last season, most of which came for the Under-18s in the league and FA Youth Cup while he hit four in the Under-21s.

City manager Tony Mowbray offered him a route to the first-team for next season but the former Cardinal Wiseman schoolboy who joined the club from Coventry Jaguar junior football club, has instead opted to join the Premier League's Academy set-up.

Story link: 'Sambou's decision to reject Coventry City doesn't demonstrate the club lack ambition - it's a product of the modern game'

Mowbray explained to the Telegraph in April: “I had long chats with him and his advisors and think the career path would be much better at this club than going to the Premier League and finding himself in a pool of 20 or 30 under 21-year-olds all striving for the same thing and where he might never surface, of course, whereas here I think he would have possibly been around our first team squad and maybe off the bench and getting some first team minutes next season.

“But they have taken the decision to move on and let’s see where his career goes from here.”

The Sky Blues will be due compensation, if an agreement cannot be reached between Everton and Coventry then the matter will go to a tribunal.

Former Sky Blues midfielder James Maddison, who made the switch to Norwich City in January, and current City midfielder Ben Stevenson posted their congratulations to Sambou on Twitter last night.

Watch Andy Turner's thoughts on the ex-Sky Blues youngster