Singapore teen Ben Davis signs pro contract with Fulham

Jul 13, 2018 09:58 pm

Teenager Ben Davis has signed a professional contract with English Premier League side Fulham, taking a big step towards his dream of playing in the world's most popular league.

Fulham, who gained promotion to the English top flight last season, announced the signing on Friday (July 13). Ben will continue to play with the Fulham Under-18s and U-23s, where he could get opportunities to impress Slavisa Jokanovic, manager of the Fulham first team.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder had signed a two-year scholarship with the London club a year ago and has made 10 appearances in the Premier Under-18 South League, scoring a header against West Ham’s U-18 side and boasting an excellent passing accuracy of 90 per cent.

Ben was born in Thailand to an English father and Thai mother before moving to Singapore with his family when he was five. He became a Singapore citizen in 2009, but will be eligible to ply his trade in England due to factors like his British heritage.

He came through the ranks at JSSL Singapore, a local youth academy started by his father Harvey, before joining the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) Junior Centre of Excellence (JCOE). He went on to represent various national age-group teams before earning his first call-up to the senior national side in March.