Southampton have signed Republic of Ireland underage captain Seamus Keogh.
Keogh has captained Ireland at both U15 and U16 level and he will join the Premier League club’s famed academy from July 1.
Keogh has been playing for Sligo Rovers in the U15 and U17 League of Ireland leagues and he will join fellow Ireland underage international Michael Obafemi at the club next season.
The #bitored can confirm that Under-17 player Seamus Keogh will join @SouthamptonFC academy on 1 July.
Congratulations to Seamus, we wish him every success in Englandhttps://t.co/Db7hZHFUqh pic.twitter.com/aihOu0MTqO
— Sligo Rovers (@sligorovers) June 27, 2018
Sligo Head of Youth Development Danny O’Leary said: “This is a terrific opportunity for Seamus, and one he has thoroughly earned.
“The move was on the cards for quite a while and the club are happy with the agreement made. While we are sorry to lose him as a Sligo Rovers player, a Premier League academy is a chance for Seamus to continue his growth as a player and we respect that.
“His attitude and commitment have been second to none. I want to thank Seamus and his parents. Conor O’Grady and Marcel Gordon gave Seamus excellent coaching for the U-15s and likewise all the staff at the U-17s and his previous club Benbulben FC offered a great grounding.
“As he moves over, we offer our very best wishes to Seamus.
“Our goal is to develop players for Sligo Rovers and at the moment we are seeing the rewards with many of our Under-19s graduating to the first team and younger levels attracting interest from abroad. That work will continue with the aim of producing players with benefits for them and Sligo Rovers.”
