According to a report from the BBC, West Ham United have won the race to recruit Patrick Kelly from Coleraine, a club based in Northern Ireland. Several Premier League clubs were interested in his signature. However, it appears that the East London outfit won the race for the teenager.
The player will be a part of the developmental squad and be a prospect for the future. The fee hasn’t been disclosed. The deal, however, has several add-ons, including a sell-on clause.
He joins his teammates Michael Forbes and Callum Marshall from the youth level Nothern Island team.
Why Did West Ham Sign Kelly?
Born in 2004, the young prodigy is primarily a midfielder. He rose through the ranks of Coleraine FC. Kelly was impressed by their youth set-up and was given a chance in the first-team in the previous season.
Kelly’s abilities were recognised, and he was given a chance to be in the matchday squad for the Europa Conference League encounter against FK Velez Mostar of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He is known for his technique and vision. The midfielder scored 1 goal and had 4 assists last season.
Kelly was of interest to several Premier League clubs. And now he is headed to one of them.
David Moyes has supposedly taken an interest in enhancing West Ham’s youth profile. And the Scottsman has taken a step in the right direction with this signing. They would be disappointed in losing Sonny Perkins recently. But the Hammers will hope that they won’t regret the sale after purchasing another young talented midfielder.
It will be interesting to see how Kelly develops. Moyes is building something special at the London Stadium. Two consecutive finishes in European places would have been deemed inconceivable a few years ago for The Hammers. But Moyes has silenced his doubters, and shown that he is still a very capable manager.
This signing was made with West Ham’s future kept in mind. Let’s see how it pans out.
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