Earlier this month, it was reported that Scottish champions Celtic were interested in signing forward Veron Parkes from West Ham and as per a joint report from Roshane Thomas and Kieran Devlin of The Athletic, the player himself is interested in making a move to Celtic Park.
The 18-year-old has reportedly rejected the offer of a two-year contract from West Ham as he believes that he is more likely to play first-team matches elsewhere and it looks like he has his eyes on a move to Neil Lennon’s side.
According to the report from The Athletic, Parkes has been impressed with Celtic’s willingness to give young players the opportunity to play first-team games and as such, he has his eye on a move to Scotland
As it stands, Parkes will be a free agent at the end of June, although any club who signs him will need to pay West Ham compensation.
Read West Ham Verdict
Parkes has put in some very good performances for the Hammers’ U18s, where he’s scored 11 goals and had six assists in just 14 games and it would be a shame to see a player leave after the club put so much effort into his development.
However, in a day and age where young players seem more eager to make a move at a young age in order to get regular first-team minutes, West Ham are in a tough situation.
David Moyes’ first priority is keeping West Ham in the Premier League and he has to pick the players he thinks can earn points in the short-term, rather than focussing on the development of others.
If he doesn’t think Parkes is better than his current options, then he’s right not to select him but in turn, that could well see the teenager head out of the exit door.
