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Official: Brooks Lennon transfers to RSL from Liverpool FC

Lennon’s back in Salt Lake for 2018, not on loan, but permanently.

MLS: Real Salt Lake at Colorado Rapids Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

With news coming recently that 20-year-old attacker Brooks Lennon was set to remain at Real Salt Lake, it was only a matter of time that the club made it official.

Today is that day, with a trifecta of local or homegrown signings coming in the last week with Aaron Herrera, Taylor Peay and Lennon.

The press release doesn’t indicate whether a fee was involved, or if the move was a free transfer. Previous reports indicated RSL would be paying no transfer fee.

In a Real Salt Lake-issued press release, RSL general manager Craig Waibel described Lennon as a player that can “fill multiple roles within the front four,” leading to a thought that he could be deployed for tactical flexibility.

"Lennon is another key player in what we believe to be one of the youngest and most exciting attacking groups in the league, and Brooks adds depth to the choices the coaching staff possess each day as he can fill multiple roles within the front four and play them all very well," said Waibel, noting that all five RSL Academy players from this year's CONCACAF Champion and FIFA U-20 quarterfinalist USA team will wear Claret-and-Cobalt together in 2018. "Brooks took a different route than most, from Arizona to England and back to Utah – and he's now come back to our Club and found success here on the field, and we expect even bigger things in 2018. This is a big milestone for our Academy as we continue to develop our own, and to welcome Brooks home full-time is phenomenal."

Lennon, in the press release, said he “made huge strides in (his) development” and that he wanted to stay at the club.

"I'm ecstatic, I knew I wanted to stay at Real Salt Lake," said Lennon, one of the five RSL Academy players to have comprised nearly 25 percent of U.S. U-20 roster for Head Coach Tab Ramos in 2017. "Under the leadership of Mike Petke I thought I made huge strides in my development and I matured as a player on and off the field. It was a no-brainer for me to re-sign and I know that we have the quality to compete for hardware and I'm excited to do that with a group of players that I grew up playing with."