A former Kent youth champion sprinter has put pen to paper on a two-year scholarship with a top EFL side.
Championship side Derby County have handed highly-rated 16-year-old forward Troy Ogedengbe a chance to earn a professional deal at the club despite interest from at least one Premier League team.
The teenager, who had a spell as a junior at Gillingham, enjoyed a productive season in the Derby academy, netting 14 goals in just 16 appearances, which prompted them to hand the 6ft 4in forward a chance to impress over the next two years in their under-18s.
It’s understood that Ogedengbe also attracted the attention of Everton. However, despite the top-flight interest, the young striker felt that Pride Park offered the perfect pathway for his development.
Ogedengbe has had quite a journey over the past two years, with trials at the likes of Chelsea, Charlton and Spurs before playing academy football at Gillingham.
He managed to score a hat-trick in a game against Charlton and got the chance to represent Norway at youth level. He left the Gills a year ago and had trials abroad, and then back in England at Leicester City and Everton, before earning a move to Derby.
Ogedengbe has managed to transfer his blistering pace to the football field, having previously made his mark on the athletics track.
Before focusing heavily on his footballing development, the former Ravens Wood student was a member of Blackheath & Bromley Harriers.
In 2025, while still only 15 years old, he blew away the competition to be crowned the Kent Under-17s 200m champion. His blistering personal bests—clocking 22.16 seconds in the 200m and 11.23 seconds in the 100m—ranked him among the top 10 sprinters in the entire UK for his age group.
Unsurprisingly, his unique attributes have not just caught the eye of English academies but have also sparked international interest. Ogedengbe is eligible to represent Norway through his mother’s heritage.
The Norwegian National Team has already expressed an active interest in his development, officially inviting the towering forward to attend squad training camps as they look to secure his international future.
Derby County staff are understood to be absolutely delighted to have secured Ogedengbe’s future as he transitions into the club’s Under-18s squad for the upcoming campaign. Having cut his teeth in Kent youth football and the Gillingham setup, the young striker now has the perfect platform to continue his path towards professional football.
