Premier eyes on Mellor

YOUNG gun David Mellor has made nine first-team appearances for Athletic this season.

ATHLETIC are poised for new bids for David Mellor, after confirming that an offer has already been turned down for the versatile teenager.

Premier League side Fulham are believed to have tabled a bid totalling £300,000 — straight after watching the impressive Shaw starlet in action for the first time.

Athletic have continually insisted that despite tight finances, they will not be taken for a ride when it comes to player values.

And it can be seen as a sign of confidence that Athletic expect bigger offers will be forthcoming that Fulham’s bid, for a player who has only nine first-team appearances to his name to date, was turned down. Mellor signed a two-year professional contract at the end of August.

“It was a tempting offer, but not one we chose to accept at the time,” said Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy.

Released by Manchester United at the age of 16, Mellor has come through the youth-team ranks at Boundary Park.

Solid of frame, he made the substitutes’ bench last term before breaking into the first-team picture this season.

On his first start for the club, playing on the left side of midfield, the teenager curled home a superb effort with his unfavoured right foot to help bring about a 2-1 win at Scunthorpe.

Since then he has mainly operated at left-back, particularly impressing in the televised win over MK Dons last week, which will have seen his stock rise still further.

Athletic have only lost two of those nine matches he has been involved in this season and a host of scouts have been following his progress.

He is the latest in a long string of players from the club’s youth set-up to attract a top-flight bid.

Five years ago, the club sold prospect Scott Spencer to Everton for an initial fee of £200,000 and Danny Philliskirk went to Chelsea for the same up-front amount in 2007.

Neal Eardley was sold to Blackpool for around £350,000 two years ago and played Premier League football last season. And 12 months on, Tom Eaves joined Bolton for a similar fee, plus add-ons.

In addition, Athletic received cash when Spencer’s brother Grant went to Bolton and the club also maintain a potentially lucrative 20-per-cent sell-on stake in Manchester City right-back Micah Richards, who was with the club’s centre of excellence up to the age of 14.