Former Glenavon youngster now on the books of Celtic reportedly a target for Scottish Championship club
Former Glenavon goalkeeper Josh Clarke, who is currently on the books of Celtic, is reportedly being targeted for a loan move by Scottish Championship outfit Partick Thistle.
Clarke was brought in as emergency cover by the Lurgan Blues in April 2022 for the closing stages of their league campaign and only one day after signing, he saved a penalty in a win over Ballymena United.
In total, Clarke made six appearances for Glenavon and used his brief Irish League stint as a platform to impress with Scottish giants Celtic making their move in August 2022.
The 20-year-old has also previously spent time on the books of Chelsea and Bournemouth while he was called up to Northern Ireland’s senior squad for the first time aged 17 – just a matter of days before joining Glenavon.
Clarke was on the bench as Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg in a friendly and was involved once again for UEFA Nations League fixtures against Greece, Cyprus and Kosovo two months later, but ultimately didn’t register a senior appearance.
He has had an interesting international journey, representing Sweden, England, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at youth level – Clarke played for the latter’s U21s.
Daily Record are reporting Partick Thistle are showing interest in making a temporary move for Clarke, who will be looking to gain further senior experience following last season’s loan spell at Ayr United.
He has been involved in Celtic’s squad throughout pre-season in fixtures against the likes of Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle United, and his contract runs until 2027.
His most memorable performance for Celtic’s B team came in their 2023 Glasgow Cup final triumph over Rangers with Clarke saving four penalties in a shootout success at Ibrox.
Clarke impressed former Scotland international Scott Brown, who is manager of Ayr, telling the Ayr Advertiser in March: “We had a big decision to make, we’ve chopped and changed goalies.
"If we could’ve got Josh at the start of the season by all means we would’ve done, we wanted to keep him.
“We all know what Josh is about. He’s a fantastic character about the place, he’s well driven, he works extremely hard, and he wants the best for his footballing career.
"You want somebody like that who’s a livewire about the place.”