HIGHLY-RATED Zimbabwean teenage forward Leon Chiwome has been tipped for a very successful career at Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers after penning his first professional contract with the club on Friday to cap off an impressive opening seven months since arriving at the club.
The 17-year-old sensation, who was born in Brighton to a Zimbabwean father and a British mother, has enjoyed a remarkable rise in English football since being signed by the Wolves Academy from AFC Wimbledon in July last year.
Chiwome wasted very little time in making an impact at the club as he scored in his first two fixtures for Wolves Under-18 side before going on to make his PL2 debut after coming on for the under-21s at Liverpool in September.
The gifted teenager’s sterling performances also earned him his maiden call up to the England under-17 side, netting a hat-trick against Germany in an international friendly last month.
Wolves have now moved swiftly to tie down the gifted teenager to a professional contract, warding off interest from rival clubs that have reportedly monitored his progress.
The club’s academy manager for football Jon Hunter-Barrett said Chiwome’s remarkable progress since his arrival at Wolves shows that he is destined for a very successful professional career.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for Leon at a great football club,” Hunter-Barrett said.
“He’s a keen worker, great shape and size, knows where the back of the net is and really athletic.
“He’s progressed very well in such a short period of time having already represented the under-18s, under-21s and also England at youth level. He’s definitely got a lot of potential and it’s great that everyone internally and externally can see that.”
Hunter-Barrett paid tribute to the club’s scouting team for identifying Chiwome early.
“I want to give credit to our recruitment team who have done an unbelievable job in identifying Leon as a player with potential to come into the programme. Seeing how quickly and how well he’s progressed since coming here is testament to himself, but also to them,” he said.
“As much as we see a bright future for him, it’s important we take things step-by-step. Part of his plan is going to be under-18s and under-21s, as well as getting himself back into the England set-up.”
Wolves’ head of UK academy recruitment Harry Hooman also provided an insight into the process behind securing the services of Chiwome, suggesting that the striker had all the tools they were looking for in a number nine.
Although the young forward’s career is still in its infancy, Hooman has admitted that Chiwome has exceeded expectations thanks to his own hard work and the nurturing from coaches and support staff in the academy.
“Credit to the scouts and recruitment team as a whole who saw that potential in Leon,” Hooman said.
“We felt he had all the attributes that we look for in a number nine and he can do a bit of everything, but was far from the finished article.
“He’s come in and progressed quicker than we actually envisaged. He’s got that real desire to improve which has helped and has been like a sponge since he’s come in.
“He had all those attributes, but then it’s down to the coaches and the support staff who have helped him, alongside his own attitude and desire to improve.”
Chiwome was in September named as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League by the British newspaper The Guardian, who included him on their list of the best youngsters from each club in the English top tier league.
The gifted youngster, who is reportedly keen to play for the country of his father’s birth, became the latest player with Zimbabwean roots to get on the list, joining Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson in 2016 and Newcastle United’s Michael Ndiweni in 2020.
