The New Saints have secured their first signing of the summer with 18-year-old goalkeeper Reece Thompson putting pen to paper on a one year deal.

He will go straight into the first team squad and challenge to become the number one next season.

Highly sought-after Thompson has joined the club from local rivals Shrewsbury Town FC, where he has been since the age of seven, having spent over 10 years representing the club across all levels of the academy.

Born in Denmark, Reece is the son of current Leicester City goalkeeping coach, Glyn Thompson, who enjoyed a successful spell at Newport County in the National League South.

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Thompson said: “I love the feel of this place. The manager’s been great with me and welcomed me straight in - it’s been unbelievable.

“It’s been a tough start to training with our Champions League fixtures just around the corner, but I’ve loved every second of it and can’t wait to continue getting stuck in.

“I want to push the current first-team goalkeeper, Connor Roberts, as much as I can over the course of the season. I want to get as much as I can out of training and help the team in every way possible”.  

Sharing his thoughts on the club’s new signing, Head Coach, Craig Harrison, said: “Reece is a fantastic addition to our squad and is someone we’ve been keeping an eye on for some time. 

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“He’s got a fantastic relationship with our first-team goalkeeper, Connor Roberts, who is also going to be instrumental in Reece’s development over the course of the season. 

“We’re delighted to have him in our squad and look forward to having him available for the huge run of games we have coming up over the next few weeks”.

Chairman Mike Harris added: “Reece is an exceptional addition to our squad. He’s one of the most talented young goalkeepers in the area and we’re delighted to have him on board.

“He’s only going to get better and better under the watch of both the players and staff here at The New Saints, so I’m really looking forward to watching him develop into a fantastic goalkeeper."

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