Unfortunately for Joel Kerr, the Northern Ireland starlet now looking to make his mark in the Premier League with West Ham United, his London Stadium contract began at a less-than-ideal moment.
Last week, Daniel Cummings and Mohamadou Kante trained with Mark Robson’s reserves for the first time.
The Scotland Under-19 striker signed from Celtic and the former Paris FC midfield dynamo officially began their West Ham United careers when a new season, and a new financial year, kicked off on July 1st.
Much to the frustration of Gerard Donnelly, the same could be said of Northern Ireland teen sensation Joel Kerr.
West Ham snapped up a ‘fantastic young footballer’, to quote Glentoran’s sporting director Paul Millar, when Joel Kerr agreed to join the Premier League outfit at the end of May.
But with his contract beginning this month a la former Hoops starlet Cummings, this meant he would be denied the chance to sign off in style during the All-Ireland Minor final on Sunday afternoon.
West Ham's new signing Joel Kerr during Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland - U16 Victory Shield
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Tyrone manager Gerard Donnelly discusses Joel Kerr’s West Ham United switch
A talented Gaelic football player too, while turning heads for Glentoran FC in the NIFL Premiership, Kerr also represented National Football League outfit Tyrone.
And, as Tyrone defeated Gaelic football rivals Kerry over the weekend to claim the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship title, Kerr was restricted to a watching brief from his new home across the sea.
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“Joel’s father is just beside me, and he’s the happiest man here!” beams Gerard Donnelly, the aforementioned manager of Tyrone speaking to RTE after the man who replaced Kerr – Diarmuid Martin – became the hero of the hour.
“I was just on the phone to him. He’s in London. He’s starting his career tomorrow morning and I’m so delighted.
“But isn’t it just unbelievable that the man that came in for him, Diarmuid Martin, scored three points, including the winner at the end?
“You couldn’t script it, could you? You couldn’t script it.”
By Donnelly’s own admission, Joel Kerr missing the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final was something Tyrone always knew could be a possibility.
“Look, we knew from July 1st that Joel [would be] a West Ham player,” Donnelly adds, confirming that the Northern Ireland Under-17 international had initially started training with the Hammers in late-2024.
“From the very first trial last September, I joked with him, I said, ‘Joel, we’ll push it back a week.’ You never think it’s going to be going to get this far!”
Northern Ireland duo Callum Leacock and Joel Kerr hope to impress at West Ham
Alongside Cummings, Kante and Kerr, West Ham signed Callum Leacock last week too. T
he 16-year-old right-back becomes the latest fresh-faced teenager to join, another talented Gaelic football player opting for a career in soccer.
“We are absolutely delighted for Joel and his family,” Andy Mathieson, Head of Player Development at Glentoran, said when Kerr’s move to West Ham was confirmed. “This is a fantastic opportunity for a young player who has shown exceptional dedication, maturity and talent throughout his time in the Glentoran Academy.
“He’s a natural footballer with real quality, but it’s his attitude and work ethic that truly set him apart.
“From an early age, Joel stood out as a real prospect. Someone with undoubted ability and the mindset to match. He’s worked incredibly hard on his game and always listened to the Academy staff. That blend of talent and mentality meant we always had high hopes for him.
“We’re excited to watch Joel continue his development at West Ham and we’ll be supporting him every step of the way.”