Josh Clarke (footballer, born 2004)
Josh Clarke (born 28 July 2004) is a professional footballer currently playing as a goalkeeper for Celtic. Born in England, he is a former youth international for Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, before opting to play for Northern Ireland in 2021. Early life Clarke was born in London to a Swedish mother, and would visit his maternal grandparents in Skåne County as a child. He attended the St John's School in Leatherhead. As well as playing football, Clarke was enrolled in the elite academy of professional rugby club Harlequins, and represented Surrey County in cricket. Club career Early career Having grown up living near Premier League side Chelsea's Cobham Training Centre, Clarke joined the academy of The Blues in 2011. During his time in the academy, he won a Goalkeeper of the Tournament award at the Kevin de Bruyne Cup in 2019, as Chelsea went on to win the youth competition. After leaving Chelsea ahead of the 2020–21 season, Clarke trained with Portuguese side Porto, and was reportedly scouted by Turkish side Beşiktaş. He had been in touch with Bournemouth since January 2020, and he joined the club following the expiration of his contract with Chelsea. In December of the same year, he played the first sixty minutes in a friendly against the under-18 side of Millwall, before being replaced by under-16 goalkeeper Ollie Camis. However, just fifteen minutes later, Bournemouth went down to ten men due to injuries, and Clarke was substituted back on to play as a makeshift striker - going on to score a stunning equaliser in the eventual 1–1 draw. He trained with the first team during his time at the club, and was the backup goalkeeper for an FA Cup fixture against Oldham Athletic in January 2021. Glenavon On 8 April 2022, Northern Irish club Glenavon announced the signing of Clarke. He had been brought in on a short-term, emergency deal, following the departure of Declan Brown and the suspension of James Taylor. He made his debut a day after signing, in a NIFL Premiership game against Ballymena United on 9 April, and after Glenavon defender Danny Wallace was sent off for a foul inside the penalty area, Clarke saved the resulting penalty from Leroy Millar as Glenavon went on to win 3–1. He went on to make five further appearances, including Glenavon's 2–0 away loss to Glentoran in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs, in which he made a number of saves, before his contract with the club expired. Clarke received the supporters' Player of the Month Award (April 2022). Celtic Following the expiration of his contract with Glenavon, Clarke moved to Scotland to join Celtic, signing a two-year deal in August 2022 and being assigned to the club's B Team. He notably saved four penalties in Celtic B's penalty shoot-out win against Rangers B in the final of the Glasgow Cup, garnering national coverage for his performance. Loan to Airdrieonians On 5 August 2023, Clarke was sent on a one-game emergency loan