blueball.gif (262 bytes) Tues 14th Nov 2000 - Rhys Weston
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Arsenal FC have this afternoon announced that they have agreed terms with Cardiff City for 19 year old defender Rhys Weston.

The deal is subject to the players personal terms and a medical. The transfer fee is undisclosed.

Weston is already a full Welsh international. He came on as a second half sub aginst Portugal a few months ago. There is no  doubt that if he puts pen to paper its another huge step forward for Cardiff City Football Club. Weston will join other Welsh youngsters Rob Earnshaw, Kevin Evans and Daniel Gabbidon in the City squad and of course new signing Andrew Jordan the Scottish U21 defender. When was the last time we could boast such an array of young talent. Its superb. Well done Bobby Gould and Sam Hammam. Weston has played once in the Premiership and twice in the Worthington Cup for Arsenal but he is a star man in their youth set up. Rhys is curently with the Welsh squad on a a bonding exercise in Spain.

I have been trawling the web for news on Rhys Weston and I can report the following.

Report from BBC Wales Online.
Cardiff are poised to sign Arsenal's young Welsh defender Rhys Weston for an undisclosed fee.

The Gunners have agreed a fee with the Welsh club for Weston, whose move to Wales now hinges on personal terms and a medical.

The Welsh Under 21 international defender only turned 20 last month, but has found opportunities hard to come by at Highbury.

He made his Premiership debut on the final day of last season as Arsenal were beaten 4-2 by Newcastle at St James' Park.

Weston's only other appearances have come in the Worthington Cup, at Middlesbrough last season and in this season's exit at home to Ipswich.

He is currently with the Welsh senior squad at a training camp in La Manga, Spain.

Report from TotalFootball.
Ambitious Third Division Cardiff City have agreed a fee with Arsenal for their 20 year old Welsh international centre half Rhys Weston.

The six foot tall Weston is a product of the Arsenal youth system and the FA School of Excellence at Lilleshall. He has made three senior appearances for the Gunners and was part of the senior Wales squad at the end of last season.

The transfer is subject to the player agreeing personal terms and passing a medical. The transfer fee is undisclosed.

Rhys Weston was featured in an Arsenal matchday programme last season.
Centre-back Rhys Weston was amongst a group of former trainees that were given their first team debut in recent weeks. The 19 year-old is keen to repeat the experience, but admits that events have progressed much quicker than he expected:
"While I was hopeful, I didn't really imagine at the beginning of the season that I'd get my first team debut so quickly. To be fair, I think the main reason is that there have been a lot of injuries recently but it's a boost for me that the manager had enough faith in me to give me a shot.

"Being amongst the first team is a good experience. I can only learn from being amongst so many top quality players," explains the young defender from Surrey: "It's all very new to me. I feel like I'm on the bottom rung of the ladder, whereas when I'm training with the reserves I'm amongst players who have come through the youth system, which allows us all to be more relaxed.

"I don't feel I've done myself justice when training with the first
team, but that makes me more eager to do better and prove my ability. The more I train and play with the first team, the more I'll get used to the set up and players which I'm sure will help my confidence which in turn will help my performance. The next step for me is is to establish and integrate myself into the first team squad. My aim is to train with them regularly rather than just every now and again."

Rhys has been one of many stars in the reserves this season who have surpassed all expectations by topping the new Premier Reserve League table. The team is mostly made up of young players who have come through the youth set up and that is part of the key to their success insists Weston:

 "I think because we know each other so well and have played together for so many years is a great help. I think the biggest factor is that there are a lot of good players in the reserves and we have the necessary self-belief that allows us to go out and express that ability. I've been happy with my form this season. Things have gone well for me over the last two years whereas my first year as a trainee when I came from Lilleshall was difficult, but that's in the past and I'm looking forward to the future," says the former England schoolboy.

Rhys was at Lilleshall with players who are now regularly in the headlines: "Francis Jeffers is flying up at Everton," says Rhys: "Scottie Parker is doing well at Charlton and in the year above me players like Michael Owen, Michael Ball and Wes Brown are doing well too. It's good to see them pushing on and now that I've had a taste of first team football I'm going to do all I can to make sure I keep pushing on too."

The following article was published before Belarus v Wales U21.
WALES may have lost, for the time being at least, one promising youngster who won't take the final step of committing himself to the land of his family. But another, Arsenal teenager Rhys Weston, is set to be confirmed as Welsh in soccer terms for ever!

Not like Owen Hargreaves, the Canadian-born Bayern Munich midfielder who qualifies for Wales because his mum comes from Rhyl, but has trained with England this week - because his dad's from Bolton!

It has left Wales and England facing a tug of war for the 19 year-old, which will only be won when he agrees to play in a UEFA sanctioned tournament for either country, and not a friendly.

But Surrey-born Weston, who lives in Kingston, has no problems deciding to fully commit himself to the land of his father, and will make his Under-21 debut in the UEFA tournament qualifier against Belarus in Borisov today. That will tie him to Wales for ever.

Under-21 chief Jimmy Shoulder said: ''Rhys will play and that will mean he's committed to Wales. He's made his decision and wants to play for us. He hasn't just been with us for the ride to see how the situation develops, he wants to play for Wales and he will do that in Belarus in a proper match that means he can't play for anyone else.''

Ironically, Weston has already got one full cap, having come on as a substitute in the June match in Portugal, but because that was a friendly it didn't tie him to Wales for good and he could still have tried his luck with England, just like Hargreaves.

But Shoulder couldn't be happier that the teenager hasn't had any second thoughts, and reckons he's close to senior squad selection on a regular basis.

He said: ''He's not far off Arsenal's first team so he's not far off
our senior squad either. He played for England Schoolboys and was with the national school at Lillishall, but in terms of international football he's still got the 'L' plates on. The more matches he can play for us at this level will certainly boost his chances at Arsenal.''

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Copyright Michael Morris 2000.