Tuesday 9 September 2014 17:32, UK
Northampton midfielder Fraser Hornby has joined Everton under the terms of the Elite Player Performance Plan.
Under-15 player Fraser is the younger brother of Cobblers midfielder Lewis, who made his debut for the club two years ago. "We have mixed feelings as Fraser makes this move," Academy manager Trevor Gould told the club's official site. "We always want to keep our best players but under the EPPP if a player is wanted by a Premier League club then it is just about impossible for us to resist given the processes set out as part of the EPPP. "Fraser is going to a fantastic club with a proud record of producing young players who will continue his development. "It is also a big pat on the back for the work we are doing here. Not only are we producing players for our own first team, we are producing players who are attracting the interest of Premier League clubs and that is a massive endorsement of our work." The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme which was introduced by the Premier League in 2012. The intention of the EPPP is to free up movement of younger players to the higher-ranking academies by establishing a hierarchy of football academies in England. It also established a fixed amount for transfer fees for players moving between academies.