West Ham United beat Everton in race to sign Sean Moore with deal all but done in London
Everton have lost out to West Ham in the race to sign Cliftonville winger Sean Moore this summer, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
The Northern Irish newspaper reported on Sunday (23 April) that the Hammers have a deal all but done to sign Moore, 17, for an initial fee of £170,000, which could rise to £500,000 due to add-ons.
It is understood that Everton, Brighton, Newcastle, Ipswich and Celtic had also shown an interest in the left-winger, who’ll turn 18 in August.
However, the Belfast Telegraph now claims that “for all involved in the deal, it would be a shock if Moore wasn’t wearing claret and blue next season”.
No bother
It’s always hit and miss when clubs sign young players so we won’t know for years whether or not it’s a bad thing that Everton missed out on signing Moore.
The Republic of Ireland youth international, who’s also eligible for Northern Ireland and is the focus of an international tug-of-war, has done well in the Danske Bank Premiership for Cliftonville, scoring five goals and supplying three assists in 26 appearances this season.
The left-sided winger, who can also play on the right, may well come good in the future but the nature of youth recruitment is that usually, the best players have a lot of clubs after them.
If Moore didn’t sign for West Ham, he may have gone to Newcastle or to Brighton or to Celtic.
Let’s face it, the issues at Goodison Park right now do not make the Blues an attractive proposition to transfer targets.
West Ham have had a couple of good seasons in Europe and look safer than we do in the Premier League relegation battle.
Newcastle and Brighton are both flying and at Celtic, there’s a better pathway to the first-team and to winning silverware and playing in the Champions League.
We had no chance.