Waterford sign Sam Bellis from Barrow while Kyle White joins from Fleetwood Town
Keith Long has signed two new players Credit: Liam Coughlan (ETPhotos)
Waterford have signed striker Sam Bellis from Barrow and midfielder Kyle White from Fleetwood Town.
Sam Bellis, a 21-year-old centre-forward, has joined Waterford after starting his career at Manchester City's academy and spending four years at Southampton.
Bellis, who scored 14 goals in 49 games across various age groups at Southampton moved to Barrow and spent the latter part of the 2023/24 season on loan at Kidderminster Harriers.
“Sam is a striker who offers us something different to what we have currently at the club. His football education has seen him work at Manchester City and Southampton’s academies respectively, so he’s an intelligent footballer with good game IQ, soft feet and an eye for goal,” said Waterford head coach Keith Long.
“It will take Sam a couple of weeks to get fully up to speed physically and we are looking forward to the impact he can make to the team.”
Bellis himself expressed his excitement about the move, saying, “I can’t wait to get going now. I’ve been in training with the lads for the past week, so I’ve been getting to know my surroundings. It’s been great so far. Obviously I didn’t know much about the league before coming here, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the standard over here.”
In addition to Bellis, Waterford have also secured the signing of 20-year-old central midfielder Kyle White from Fleetwood Town.
White was rewarded with a new contract at Fleetwood last summer after impressing in their academy. He has made six appearances for Fleetwood's first team.
“Kyle is a box-to-box midfielder, with good energy that will give us balance as a left footer in that position. He played against us and scored in the RSC last summer, and played against us in pre-season where he impressed with his work rate and output,” said Long.
“It will take a couple of weeks for Kyle to get up to speed physically but we are looking forward to what he offers in a Blues jersey.”
White is equally enthusiastic about joining Waterford, stating, “I’m excited to be here. I’ve been training with the group for the last few days, and watched the game on Friday against Dundalk – the lads did well; it was a good three points. I know some familiar faces already here, which makes the transition easier.”
