The Chicken Wings youth academy has never been especially renowned for its goalkeeping candidates, but a new breed of men between the posts seems to be cropping up. Seventeen year-old Fan Lixing had always been a shoo-in to turn professional with his recent assured displays, with longtime Grilled keeper Hang Bao-Tam effusive in his praise for the lad from Katong.

"He's almost as good as I ever was," Hang, himself a S$590 000 signing from local club Dunces United, said of Fan. "and clearly has the potential to go far. A place in the U-20 is not out of his reach, provided he gets some real games under his belt, which sadly Grilled cannot provide. Oh, I hope he doesn't get big-headed after hearing this!"

Fan had initially wished to stay on in Singapore, with a round half million dollar bid from solid Division Three club Phantasm Hotspurs looking like just what he wanted. Fan was soon swayed by the lure of foreign lands as offers poured in, with MKR Nidel 04 (Polish Division Four), foxtrotteam, Lecinhas F.C (both Portuguese Division Seven) and Cerveceros Moldenses (Argentinean Division Seven) all possible destinations.

Fan would end up with Turkish Division Six team anadoluereğlispor, though they have gained something of a reputation for redistributing their goalkeepers to other clubs - Frenchman Christophe Chapelier and Mexican Francisco Huicab being the two latest to switch sides barely months after their debut.

Not that this bothered Fan, however. "They said that it would be easier to get into a big club after first gaining a footing with them," the youngster said. "Unfortunately, we don't allow dual nationalities here, otherwise it might have been a bit easier. I never thought I would be drawing over twenty thousand dollars a month in my first job, though. This goes out to my old teachers who said I would end up as a road sweeper if I continued playing football!"

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