West Ham United have been heavily linked with a transfer for young Cliftonville winger Sean Moore this summer and current academy star Callum Marshall has been speaking about the potential switch
West Ham United teenager Callum Marshall has told fellow Northern Irish young prospect Sean Moore that a move to east London would be ‘life-changing’ amid recent transfer links with the Hammers.
The 17-year-old Cliftonville star who has recently been crowned as Northern Ireland’s Young Player of the Year, has reportedly agreed a move to join the Hammers ahead of the summer transfer window, with the Belfast Telegraph suggesting that a move worth £170,000, potentially rising to £500,000 after add-ons, had been agreed.
Moore is highly rated and has already represented both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at youth international level this season and made 38 appearances for Cliftonville’s first-team in all competitions this season, helping them finish fourth in the Danske Bank Premiership, qualifying them for the qualification rounds of next season’s Europa Conference League.
West Ham have shown signs of promise when recruiting from Northern Ireland in recent seasons, with Marshall, Michael Forbes, Patrick Kelly and Josh Briggs all in the Hammers’ academy, after moves from Northern Ireland in recent years.
The start act of those this season has been Marshall, scoring 20 goals in 22 games in the Under-18s Premier League South and FA Youth Cup combined to see West Ham’s under-18s win both competitions, and set-up a national league final away at Manchester City next Wednesday.
Speaking on the heavy links that Moore is the next player from Northern Ireland potentially linking up with West Ham, Marshall has told Moore that a move could be “life changing” for the highly-rated Moore, who was also been linked with Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion and Celtic.
“With three Northern Ireland players featuring in the Youth Cup win you would expect them to bring more players over from back home,” Marshall told the Belfast Telegraph .
“Sean Moore at Cliftonville has been linked with a move and I think I played against him when I was younger.
“He got Young Player of the Year which was a great achievement and as good as the Irish League is as a stepping stone, when you come to England and break into a team it can be life changing.
“I would say to any young player if you are good enough and you back yourself then why wouldn’t you come over? It’s worked out well for me that I would encourage other players to follow my path, including Sean.”