According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham have edged out other Premier League clubs to sign young Irish winger Sean Moore from Cliftonville. The winger, is expected to officially confirm the move with the Europa Conference League champions this week after the Irons outbid Celtic, Newcastle United, and Brighton and Hove Albion for his services.
Moore was one of the best players in the Irish League, contributing to three assists and five goals in 26 games. The Reds may be in line to get a sizable upfront payment as well as further payments in the future. The Hammers acquired the youngstar, who has played in 31 matches for the Irish side and many youth matches for both the Northern Ireland under-18 team and the Ireland under-19 squad.
On Wednesday, ExWHUemployee revealed on Patreon that West Ham had successfully signed Moore after surpassing Celtic, Brighton, Newcastle, and Everton in a bidding war for his services. The Belfast Telegraph had previously connected Moore to West Ham for a while, but it appears that the deal has now reached its conclusion. As per the publication, his price starts at £170,000 but may go as high as £500,000.
In Ireland, people recognize Moore as a promising young player. With five goals and three assists in 26 games, he helped Cliftonville reach the Europa Conference League qualification rounds. This appears to be savvy business on the part of the Hammers.
While the Declan Rice drama appears to be nearing to an end, West Ham supporters may find comfort in the fact that their youth program has advanced. The gifted winger has shown a lot of promise with several Europe-qualifying teams apparently interested in him, including Brighton and Newcastle.
West Ham Has Always Invested In Youth Talents
Even if Declan Rice’s future may not lie at the London Stadium, West Ham may have other, more pressing areas in which to invest this summer, but developing young talent is always a good idea. The best illustration of this is Rice, whose signing was reportedly for close to £100 million (The Sun), a good return for an academy prodigy who was given a chance.
With Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard experiencing similar outcomes while playing for the Hammers, this is nothing new, and Moore would have an easy time succeeding in East London. It is very obvious why Moore selected the Hammers above the other suitors given that the West Ham crop emerging at the London Stadium just won the FA Youth Cup.
Because Moore has already played for the Irish youth teams and because Cliftonville’s previous biggest departure. According to Transfermarkt, the sale of Rory Donnelly to Swansea for just over £100,000 in the 2011–12 season, the deal is a complete no-brainer for them. You can also assume that many of the future clauses will be activated.
Moore would be a part of the dynamic West Ham development program, which this year’s academy squad won the FA development Cup. More could find East London to be the best place to develop his skills and possibly see himself playing for the first team.
