Ross County teenager Joe Coyle has been linked with a move to an English Premier League outfit.
The 16-year-old is highly rated in Dingwall, being named in matchday squads at the end of last season and coming off the bench to score a brace against Edinburgh City in the League Cup group stage at the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
Joe Coyle bagged a brace for the Staggies in the League Cup group stage at the start of the season. Picture: Ken Macpherson
Coyle has also gone out on loan to Invergordon this season, scoring a handful of goals to help the North Caledonian League champions to silverware, helping their cause as they were accepted into the Highland League for next season.
Now, it is being reported that he has gone on trial with Brighton and Hove Albion, with the teenager having piqued the interest of clubs south of the border.
Coyle’s breakthrough into senior football was made easier by his background in shinty, where he helped Newtonmore lift the Camanachd Cup last year.
He has stopped playing shinty to focus on his football career, but in an exclusive interview with the Ross-shire Journal last month, Coyle said: “I think everyone wanted me to play football and give it a good go. It’s all shinty down there, so I think they were rooting for me.
“Shinty has helped me a lot in football, because I already know how to use my body and my strength. I’m used to the physicality, which has probably helped me going to Invergordon.
“I’ve been playing lots of minutes in men’s football, and I’ve still been with the under-17s at County too, so I’m playing a lot of football.
“It’s the physicality that’s really different – the speed and the strength. If I’m playing up front, I’ve got to be strong, but it’s good to keep learning that side of the game.”
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