Basingstoke Town defender Rob Atkinson has sealed a move to the EFL by signing for Championship outfit Fulham following a trial.
The Dragons will receive a compensation fee as part of the transfer of the 6ft 4 19-year-old, who has featured for the west London club’s Under-23 team on two occasions this season.
Atkinson caught the eye at the Camrose last year, earning the Player of the Year award with performances that helped Terry Brown’s side to win the Hampshire Senior Cup.
Having been coached in France by the academy set-up at AS Cannes during his earlier teens, Atkinson signed for Town at the start of last season before completing his switch to the Cottagers.
Fulham Football Club statement
 |
Fulham defender
Rob Atkinson |
We are delighted to announce that Rob Atkinson, 19, has signed for Fulham from Basingstoke Town.
He will play for Peter Grant’s Under-23 side, having already featured for the Whites this season in the PL2 against Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa.
Atkinson is a versatile defender capable of featuring at centre-back or on the left, who likes to play out from the back.
He spent his formative youth years in France, developing his skills at the AS Cannes academy before returning to the UK.
He is an accomplished Futsal Player, having played for Reading’s FA National Futsal Super League team, and has been selected for England’s Under-19 side.
He joined Basingstoke at the start of the 2016/17 season, where he was named their Player of the Year in a campaign that culminated with them winning the Hampshire FA Senior Cup.
“We are delighted that Rob Atkinson has agreed to join us from Basingstoke Town,” stated Academy Director Huw Jennings.
“He came in and played two Under-23 games against Brighton and Aston Villa and performed very well for us.
“We fended off competition from three other clubs, one Premier League club and two other Championship clubs, and we are delighted to have him.”
Speaking from the Club’s Motspur Park Training Ground, Atkinson said: “To have a club like Fulham come in and offer me a contract, I’m obviously delighted.
“I like to think of myself as a ball-playing centre-half who can bring the ball out, but I can do the dirty work as well.
“I’ve played in non-league; things aren’t pretty down there most of the time. I can play both ways.
“Academy football is going to be new to me, especially at Under-23 level, I’ve never played it before.
“So going back to youth football is going to be an interesting one but I am looking forward to the challenge.
“The end goal is to play for the first team on a regular basis and I will be looking to do that. I don’t particularly want to play Under-23s football until I am 23, I want to get out of it and play adult football because that is where it is all at.”