Dara Jikiemi looks set to be the latest Celtic youngster to leave for the Premier League.
This has become a theme over recent years, so 67 Hail Hail decided to list every academy player to leave the Hoops to move down south in their late teens over the last decade.
Celtic’s recent development of Barrowfield is intended to stop this trend, and the early evidence of Jikiemi suggests that this might not be the case.
If he completes the move to Anfield, he will become the eleventh player to move in the last ten years – and that’s not including the Championship (eg Rocco Vata) or abroad (eg Liam Morrison), only the Premier League.
Should Celtic have done more to keep Rocco Vata?
Celtic academy players to leave for the Premier League in the last decade
Josh Kerr (Brighton, 2017)
Spent four years in the Celtic academy before opting to join Brighton in 2017, in their early days as a Premier League club.
After a loan with Derry City, the defender joined Airdrieonians permanently in 2022. He has since played for Bohemians, Cove Rangers, Stirling Albion and Peterhead, whom he joined a few months ago.
Josh Adam (Manchester City, 2020)
Very highly-rated Celtic, Adam rejected a professional contract to move to Manchester in 2020.
The midfielder excelled at youth level for City, but never made a senior appearance. After a year at Wrexham, he now plays for SK Dynamo Ceske Budejovice in the Czech second tier, aged 22.
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Oko-Flex (West Ham, 2021)
Remembered more for what he got up to off the pitch than on it, Oko-Flex is the first listed player to actually make a senior appearance for the Premier League club he joined.
After a loan at Swansea, Oko-Flex joined FC Zurich in 2023, spending two years in Switzerland.
The forward – who played for both Ireland and England at youth level – joined Botev Plovdiv in Bulgaria last summer, and earned a move to Levski Sofia in the same league after a solid start to the season.
Aged 24, he is building his career back up, slowly but surely.
Were Celtic right to invest £20 million in Barrowfield with so many academy players leaving?
Vincent Angelini (Watford, 2021)
The Grandson of Celtic great Davie Hay, goalkeeper Angelini spent a decade in the Hoops’ academy before joining Watford in 2021.
In two years there followed by one at Brentford, he didn’t make a single senior appearance, and he made the surprise move to Al-Riyadh in Saudi Arabia at age 20.
He didn’t make a single appearance there either, and now plays for FK Jerv in the Norwegian second tier.
Liam Hughes (Liverpool, 2021)
Almost immediately after moving to Anfield, goalkeeper Hughes featured in a few Premier League squads as Jurgen Klopp navigated an injury crisis.
After a season with Finnish side FC Haka, he now plays for Sligo Rovers.
Rory Mahady (Leeds, 2022)
A third consecutive goalkeeper! Tottenham and Man City were reportedly on the trail of Mahady in his Celtic days, but Leeds won the race for the Scotland youth international.
He is still only 19, and to his credit, is already on loan playing regular senior football for Scunthorpe United. Clearly a talent, and one to watch for the national side.
Ben Gannon-Doak (Liverpool, 2022)
The biggest success story on this list, Ange Postecoglou’s willingness to use Ben Gannon-Doak as soon as he became eligible for the first time left no doubt that Celtic had a special talent on their hands.
He was handed a senior debut in a 2-1 home win over Dundee United. Most youngsters will come on at three or four-nil up, but Gannon-Doak replaced James Forrest with the scores tied and Celtic down to ten, just two months after his 16th birthday.
He was even given minutes in the Glasgow Derby, but still opted to join Liverpool that summer. Now aged 20, he is already a crucial member of Steve Clarke’s Scotland side, having joined Bournemouth last summer for a fee rising to £25 million.
Leo Hjelde (Leeds United, 2022)
The Norwegian defender was brought to Glasgow from Rosenborg in 2019, and spent the back-end of the 2020-21 season on loan at Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.
Immediately after that loan, he rejected the chance to be part of Postecoglou’s first team squad, joining Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds instead.
After a loan at Rotherham, Hjelde joined Sunderland in 2023. Still highly-rated, he joined Sheffield United on loan after the Black Cats’ promotion to the top-flight ahead of this season.
Aidan Borland (Aston Villa, 2023)
Technically gifted midfielder Borland left Celtic for Villa aged just 16, two years ago.
Now aged 18, he is one of the most exciting young Scottish players around, and has already been given first-team minutes by Unai Emery.
He is currently on loan at Swindon Town in League Two. Be prepared to hear more about this lad, Celtic lost a good one here.
Daniel Cummings (West Ham, 2025)
Speaking of Aston Villa, it was at Villa Park where Cummings was handed his Celtic debut by Brendan Rodgers just over a year ago.
Despite being an extremely prolific striker for the Hoops’ under-18 and B teams, this was Cummings’ only senior appearance for Celtic.
He opted to join West Ham ahead of this season, and has spent the campaign in their under-21 teams, scoring just three times.
Conall Glancy (Tottenham, 2025)
The son of ex-Inverness and Dumbarton player Martin Glancy, the forward joined Tottenham at the beginning of this season after winning the treble with the Hoops’ under-16s last year.
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