Ajax have high hopes for Charlie Setford, however despite being born in the Netherlands, the goalkeeper sees his future in England and as a supporter of Saints they are the favourites to sign him.
Saints fans should not get too excited just yet though, the keeper is only 17, although he has already appeared on the bench for Ajax in the Eridivisie and made his debut for England U18's he has yet to make a first team appearance for the Dutch club although he has already been a regular for the club's reserve side Jong Ajax.
So how did a Dutch youngster end up supporting Southampton ? that is down to his English father golf pro Chris Setford who settled in the Netherlands due to his work and married a Dutch woman. He is from Alton near Southampton and is a supporter of the club, Charlie Setford says he and his family only speak English at home.
The keeper played for the Netherlands at U15 & U16 level and also for England at U16 level, but last year decided his International career lay with the country of his father and not that of his birth, and committed himself to England and has since stepped up to both U17 & U18 caps at that age group.
When asked why he had chosen England over Holland he had this to say:
"It was my own choice, and my family as well. My heart lays at England. At England, they've got more trust in me than they would at Holland, for my feeling. So that's one of the biggest reasons why I chose for England."
Setford is highly rated by the England set up and is expected to rise through the ranks, whilst he is a few years off being up to the Premier League, it seems that he feels that he needs to develop with an English club and not a Dutch one, Saints have a fine record of taking youngsters at the age of 17/18 and giving them their chance in the first team, it looks like that as well as the chance to play for his boyhood idols will be too much to resist.
Setford also has a 15 year old brother Tommy who also plays for Ajax youth teams and has also chosen England and has been in U16 squads.