As well as looking to bring in players for the first team this month, Boro’s recruitment team have also been discussing potential moves for promising youngsters who have been earmarked for the academy ranks.
One such move came to fruition last week when 18-year-old midfielder Brayden Johnson joined Boro from National League South side Eastbourne Borough.
Johnson will spend the rest of the season playing with Mark Tinkler’s Under-21s side, with Carrick fully aware of the importance of recruiting the best young talent before they become fully developed and are able to command much higher transfer fees.
“It’s fantastic for him (Johnson),” said Carrick. “I met with him and his family for the first time, and you could see how delighted he was to be here. It’s a big step for him and a fantastic opportunity.
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“As a club, we look at recruitment at different levels and different age groups. Sometimes it’s for the first team, sometimes it’s more about the long-term and development.
“It’s an important structure to keep that evolving all the way through and bringing young talent to the club who we think have good potential. That’s what we’re always looking out for.
“In Brayden, he’s another one who we think we can offer a good opportunity if he keeps doing the right things and it comes their way. It’s great to have him here.”
While Boro are in a healthy position when it comes to complying with the EFL’s Financial Fair Play rules, Carrick and the rest of the recruitment team are constantly mindful of the need to remain within the financial parameters laid down by the regulations.
There is scope to spend on senior players, as evidenced by the arrival of Ryan Giles and Morgan Whittaker so far this month. But developing from within the academy remains an important way of keeping debt at a manageable level.
“There’s definitely both sides of it,” said Carrick. “There’s no getting away from that. That affects certain decisions at certain times and planning of certain things.
“Sometimes, you can plan for a certain thing, and it then has to work out a little bit different. There’s a limit and a boundary on what you can do. We’ve got to work within that and make the best of it.”
