Birmingham City youngster Rico Browne was the subject of Premier League interest before signing on the dotted line with the Blues but a deal would have only been pursued by those teams if the second-tier side had waived any fee for his services, as per journalist Neil Moxley.

Football Insider's report yesterday afternoon revealed Tottenham Hotspur were interested in a move for the 18-year-old and had even gone as far as offering him an 18-month contract in a bid to lure him to the English capital.

According to this same report though, the centre-back has rejected this interest to sign professional terms at St Andrew's as he sets his sights on a first-team breakthrough in the West Midlands.

He will be hoping to follow a similar path to Nico Gordon who has become a regular in the senior side recently, starting the Blues' last eight league games as he continues to gain valuable experience despite Lee Bowyer's side's woes.

With his future now seemingly secured, the 18-year-old may even get a chance to shine himself in the final three games with Bowyer taking a chance on some of his youngsters in the latter stages of last season and survival guaranteed.

The defender could have moved to a top-tier club by now with West Ham United previously taking him on trial - but top-tier interest was rebuffed when it was discovered they wouldn't pay the Blues a fee for his services.

The Verdict:

The second-tier side have the right to demand a fee for his services after developing him, so the fact other teams weren't willing to pay is a bad representation of them and not the Blues who have stuck to their guns and have now been rewarded with this agreement.

With Kristian Pedersen likely to leave the club on the expiration of his deal, the Dane could potentially be left out in the last few games and this may give Browne a chance to either force his way into the matchday squad or the starting 11 if Bowyer plays with three at the back.

However, there may be two barriers to Browne's potential involvement between now and the early stages of next month. The first point has already been mentioned with the formation. Having two inexperienced centre-back options in a flat back four in Gordon and Browne could be a recipe for disaster at this stage.

Secondly, the Blues' boss is under real pressure so he may want to turn to his more experienced players to try and dig himself out of the hole he's currently in. This short-term view probably won't benefit the 18-year-old.

However, it may come to a point where the 45-year-old may give up on his senior players after seeing their performances decline over the season. And an injection of youthful energy could be needed to improve their fortunes, potentially boosting Browne's chances of being involved.