MICHAEL SPARKES has announced his departure from Celtic after six years at the Scottish Champions. The 18-year-old striker took to Twitter to confirm his departure whilst admitting he was excited to see what the future holds. The Academy project thanked the club in the heartfelt post.
After 6 years of playing for my boyhood club it’s now time to move on. For the most part i’ve enjoyed the experience and had some great memories but looking forward to what’s in store next!
Thank you @CelticFCAcademy @CelticFC 🍀 pic.twitter.com/Dls0VVpTBQ
— Michael Sparkes (@mikeysparkes14) June 27, 2020
Sparkes will surely be a hot commodity ahead of the transfer window as a highly rated free transfer. Back in January, Sparkes was offered a trial from English Premier League side Crystal Palace. Despite being clearly rated, Sparkes never made an appearance for the first team.
This is not the first departure from the Academy in the last few days with 16-year-old Josh Adam leaving the club. Last week, Adam left for Manchester City last week as the highly rated youngster opted to sign a professional contract with the English club. Celtic benefited from raiding City earlier this season with Jeremie Frimpong arriving at Celtic Park. He has been a revelation since breaking into the first team and proves that youngsters can break through at Celtic Park.
The likelihood of youngsters going into a football factory like Manchester City and becoming a first team player is massively unlikely.