JAMAICAN teenage winger Kaheim Dixon is expected to travel to London “in the coming days” to finalise his transfer from Arnett Gardens to English League One club Charlton Athletic, says his agent Kevin Cowan.

Dixon is expected to sign a four-year deal.

The 19-year-old, who had a mercurial rise through schoolboy football competition — last season he led Clarendon College to the daCosta Cup and Olivier Shield titles — and represented the senior Reggae Boyz team in FIFA World Cup qualifying and the CONMEBOL Copa America tournament, was sought after by clubs in several countries, the Jamaica Observer was told.

Cowan, of International Dymension, said Dixon had offers from clubs in the United States Major League Soccer, Cyprus, Portugal, Belgium, and other nations.

He said Charlton’s interest shone above the others.

“The aggression of Charlton, who were very clear in how they perceive the player, and the project that they have in place for him, his development, how they see him, and how they want to work with him [was the deciding factor]. They were just very clear from the beginning of their pursuit — they never relented. We saw quickly that this was the club for him because they showed us this,” he explained.

Cowan, who also represents Reggae Boy Renaldo Cephas, hailed Jamaica Premier League (JPL) which he said had given Dixon the platform after an outstanding schoolboy season during which he scored nearly 40 goals.

He added: “The kid impressed, earned his way, got called up, and basically never looked back.”

Cowan said he does not foresee any issue which would prevent Dixon from securing a work permit in England.

“He has done all he has to do and was part of the national team. Charlton has also been doing their work. They wouldn’t pursue the player this aggressively if they were not confident that they can secure the work permit so I would say for us we wouldn’t want to speak so much on the work permit process other than that Charlton is going to lead the way with that. They’ve done their due diligence and their research,” he told the Observer.

Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) Chairman Christopher Williams and Arnett Gardens General Manager Peter Thelwell were pleased with the development.

“Progress! And way, way more to come,” Williams told the Observer. “This is exactly where we are taking the league; we must be a source market for global clubs and it is the role of the JPL clubs to develop world-class players. We have made and will continue to make investments in that regard,” he said while noting the drive to improve coaching, player nutrition, and boost the number of matches per season.

PFJL is the entity which promotes and markets JPL.

Thelwell said his club laid the foundation for Dixon to hone his craft.

“We gave him the platform for professional football in Jamaica and as a result, as Kevin said, he was noticed by the [former] Head Coach (Heimir Hallgrimsson) of the Reggae Boyz who gave him another level of exposure.

“Basically, we are in the business of developing players for the transfer market — and you know when we have young, exciting talents like this we give them playing time so that they can show their talents to the world,” the club executive said..

“We are happy, everybody’s happy… one, for the player, and school, [and] the club. I mean, it really does a lot as it will help in the further development of the player. And we see this as a good move for the club which will likewise attract new young talents; and [it will be beneficial for] the club where[in] they can use [this] as a stepping stone, as a platform for greater things,” Thelwell noted.