Young Cypriot Odysseas Spyrides has signed a contract with Premier League outfit West Ham United. In doing so, the 12-year old striker becomes the youngest Cypriot to earn a deal with a foreign club and now permanently resides in London.
Spyrides was spotted by scouts of the London club last autumn, after Tottenham decided not to pursue his signature
Spyrides was one of three players who went to London in September for the final round of trials at Tottenham after three youngsters were chosen among thousands of kids from a process that started from the 2012 edition of the Ayia Napa youth tournament.
As a result of Cypriot clubs continuing to shun local players in favour of imports, parents of young Cypriots are increasingly warming to the idea of their children moving abroad to make a breakthrough in their careers. Combined with an increased level of scouting on the island from foreign clubs, we could see the next batch of top Cypriot talent be produced by clubs abroad.
There is already a healthy presence of young Cypriots in English football and Spyrides will aim to follow in their footsteps:
