Harley Mills Signs: Statement of Intent from Darragh MacAnthony

Today, 29th July, big news as 19-year-old Harley Mills has signed a new four-year deal at Peterborough United.

Photo Credit : Joe Dent / Peterborough United

The academy product made 11 League One appearances last term and is well placed to be the club's starting left back until at least September, with Rio Adebisi out.

This is a massive statement of intent from Posh and their Chairman Darragh MacAnthony, representing only the second time in the post-Covid era that the club has tied down a first XI player to a new contract, after Joel Randall last summer.

The deal will run until Mills is 23, increasing the odds of Posh securing a multi-million pound transfer for him in the future, in line with the club's philosophy of profiting on talented players.

It also represents yet another success of the strategy implemented when MacAnthony brought Canadian investors into the club in 2018 to take the club's academy to Category 2 status. 'The Dome' that was built as part of this represented the butt-end of many jokes a few years ago.

But Harrison Burrows, Ricky-Jade Jones, James Dornelly and Harley Mills have all broken into the first team since its completion. No-one is laughing now.

Harley has already shown glimpses of being a serious talent for Peterborough United, with a Man of the Match performance in the EFL Trophy final in April in which he scored a free kick. Following in the footsteps of Harrison Burrows a year earlier, Mills stepped up at Wembley. There is a good chance the similarities continue with a move into the Championship in time.

Release clauses and option years were not mentioned in the announcement.

Mills was one of two key players heading into the new season in the last year of their contract. The other was key man Archie Collins. MacAnthony revealed exclusively to UpThePoshcast earlier this month that he saw the odds of Collins signing at only 30%, and is trying to get the midfielder to ignore his agent.

Verdict

Everyone wins with this deal.

• Mills and his supporting network, having made the right call of developing under Darren Ferguson for another year, who has proven time and again he can turn players into stars.

  
  

• The club, because it is now secure in the knowledge that Mills will attract a significant sum if he fulfils his potential, whether this season or next.

  
  

• The fans, getting to see a full season of Mills as the consensus first choice left back, without doubts over his future.