Cheltenham Town Signs Winger Jake Evans on Loan

Cheltenham Town have moved to sharpen their attacking edge with the season-long loan signing of highly rated winger Jake Evans from Leicester City.

The 17-year-old, who already has a League One campaign on his CV after 16 appearances for Northampton Town last season, arrives as a player in a hurry. He has had a glimpse of senior football and clearly has no intention of stepping back into the shadows.

"I'm over the moon to be here," he told the club’s website. "I have had a taste of senior football, and I just want more. I can't wait to play for the Gaffer and the Robins fans."

That hunger is exactly what Steve Cotterill has been chasing all summer. Evans has not slipped in under the radar; he has been on the board for months.

"Jake has been one of my targets throughout the summer," the Cheltenham manager said. "There was a lot of interest in Jake from League Two and higher up the pyramid."

That last line tells its own story. Cheltenham have beaten off competition from across the divisions to land a teenager Leicester rate highly enough to keep under contract and send out to learn the hard way. For a club reshaping its squad, that matters.

Evans brings pace, direct running and the kind of fearlessness that tends to belong to those who have not yet been told what they cannot do. Cotterill, though, was quick to remind everyone that this is still a work in progress.

"As well as being an exciting player, it is also worth remembering that he is a young man learning his trade in the men's game."

That balance — between expectation and patience, impact and education — will define this loan. Cheltenham get a winger eager to attack full-backs and a prospect with real resale value for his parent club. Evans gets a full season to prove that those 16 League One outings at Northampton were just the start.