"Today I have officially left Celtic"; Academy talent confirms exit, set for EPL switch

By John McGinley

September 11, 2022

Rory Mahady has officially announced his exit from Celtic today and is expected to complete a switch to Leeds United in the near future.

Mahady, a goalkeeper, has been with the Bhoys for close to a decade moving through the youth ranks. Now 16, he’s destined for a switch to England, after confirming his departure on Instagram this afternoon.

The player said: “Today I have officially left Celtic. Just want to say a massive thank you to the players and staff for the last 9 years. It was a pleasure, wishing everyone the best of luck for the future.”

It was reported by The Daily Mail a number of weeks ago that Mahady was in talks with Leeds, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have also been credited with interest this year.

Mahady isn’t the only young talent to leave Celtic for clubs in bigger leagues over the last few years. Liam Morrison left for Bayern Munich while Ben Doak and Liam Hughes made the switch to Liverpool. There have been others too.

It’s been a noted problem for the academy and the pathway towards the first-team, though there have been reviews and changes made over the last 12 months since Ange Postecoglou arrived at Lennoxtown.

Mahady has represented Scotland at U16 and U17 level – clearly, he is believed to hold good potential and could have a bright future ahead in the game.

Although it’s never nice to see the most promising talents leave the club, we wish the youngster all the best in forging a career down south.

In other news, “I need to say how good they were”; Celtic hero blown away by ‘unique’ supporters.