Southampton have completed the signing of talented young defender Will Armitage from Cheltenham Town.

The 16-year-old is highly-rated by the League One side and has made two appearances for the first team in the Papa John's Trophy this season.

Those performances, and his form at youth level, caught the eye, with Saints known to be real admirers of the player and it had been thought that the transfer would've been finalised last week after their interest became clear.

However, whilst it's dragged on a bit longer than anticipated, the Robins announced that an undisclosed fee had been agreed with the Premier League side and that Armitage is now a Southampton player.

Unsurprisingly, the teenager will link up with the development side on the south coast, but they have shown, particularly in recent years, that they provide a path to the first-team for younger players.

For Cheltenham, it's another sign of progress for their academy as they produce youngsters who are attracting attention from clubs higher up the football pyramid.

The verdict

Firstly, you have to say that this is a great move for Armitage because Southampton are a club who place a huge emphasis on giving youngsters a chance and they are renowned for having a great academy setup.

So, it's the perfect move for the player in that sense and he will no doubt be looking forward to the challenge ahead.

On one hand, Cheltenham will be disappointed to lose Armitage before he can make his mark as a professional but the fact they are producing talents that are wanted by Premier League clubs shows they're doing a lot right.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.