Preston sign Tyrone Mears

By Paul Holmes
July 3 2002

Preston North End have signed young right back Tyrone Mears from Manchester City on a three-year deal.

The 19-year-old came through the youth ranks at Maine Road but struggled to make an impact on the first team with only one apperance last season, as a substitute.

Mears will be expected to deputise for Scottish International Graham Alexander for the meantime. Preston boss Craig Brown spoke of Mears to the clubs official site. "We are delighted to have signed Tyrone Mears," said Craig. "He is one of the best young right-backs in England. Our objective is to have cover for every position in the first team squad and Tyrone knows that he is competition for Scottish International Graham Alexander.

"Tyrone will be able to learn a lot from Graham in matches and training as well as giving us cover and another option. We are trying to enhance the quality of the squad and we know that Tyrone will do that."

"We want to have a smaller squad supported by excellent young players who can step in and it not look any difference and we think that we are getting towards that."

Brown also spoke of his planning for more younger players at Deepdale, what he calls his 'French Ethos'. "The French do it to perfection. In France you can only sign 20 players in each squad. This was a tremendous rule by the French Football Federation and they then had to identify the players they really wanted.

"Because in that scenario if I wanted to sign someone and had 20 players - over the age of 21 - then I would have to get rid of one. This means the least valuable player in the squad would be freed if you couldn't sell them.

"I think we have to try and operate that way here at Preston, without it being mandatory. Our objective will be to only have 20 players in the squad who are over 21 and any supplementary players to last the season forces us to have a good youth policy.

"That's what Gerald Houllier did when he became the Technical Director in France when they failed to qualify in 1990 and 1994 and then they won it in 1998. The reason for that was the likes of Trezuguet and Henry came through at Monaco."

Brown has also given keeper Tepi Moilanen a leave of abscence to look after his ill wife. The Finnish international will miss the start of pre-season training but is expected to rejoin the squad over the weekend.