Bristol City defender Raphael Araoye says he’s weathered the ups and downs of progressing through the academy system to sign his first professional deal with the Robins.
Araoye, who has been with City since the age of 10, has penned a three-year agreement to become the seventh academy product in recent months to sign extended terms with the club following Tommy Backwell, Mac Boyd, Jamie Knight-Lebel, Seb Palmer-Houlden, Omar Taylor-Clarke and Callum Wood.
The 17-year-old was part of Nigel Pearson’s first-team during pre-season, playing against Exeter City and Bournemouth but his immediate future appears to be with the Under-18 and Under-21 set-ups, where he has already featured this term.
"It's an amazing feeling to be honest. The moment I have been waiting for since joining the academy - it's a dream come true to sign my first professional contract,” Araoye told bcfc.co.uk. "Coming up through the academy there have been a lot of ups and downs. I'm just happy that I have reaped what I have sown and I'm ready for it now.
"Last year I was injured for quite a bit, so for this season I want to get a run of games and some consistency in my performances and if I get the opportunity with the first team, I’ll take it."
Speaking about Araoye last month, Pearson was keen to play down expectations about his first-team status despite his emergence over the summer. The City manager admitted that having been given a flavour of the senior environment, his progress will continue in his relevant age groups.
“He's another one of our youngsters coming through the academy which has attributes to lend themselves much to the modern game, but we have to be careful with how we expose players like that,” Pearson said.
“Sometimes players, when they start thinking too much can struggle. He'll be going now mostly back down to his own age group which is how it should be."
Araoye is one of a number of talented young centre-backs at City with Duncan Idehen having joined Carlisle United on loan until January, Ryley Towler knocking on the door of the first-team and Knight-Lebel’s consistency at Under-23 level last season leading to a call-up to the Canada Under-20 squad.
Despite his caution over certain individuals in terms of their development, he continues to mine the academy with midfielder Dylan Kadji making his first-team debut this week, scoring in the 3-1 Carabao Cup victory at Wycombe Wanderers.
Tommy Conway has also enjoyed an outstanding start to the new season with four goals and two assists in seven appearances joining fellow academy graduates Alex Scott, Antoine Semenyo, Zak Vyner and Max O'Leary in the senior set-up.
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