Stephen Welsh has openly dismissed any fears regarding the current managerial saga at Celtic.
The Hoops have yet to appoint their new man despite the fact we’re now over three weeks since our campaign officially ended.
It looks as though things are about to change of course. After the disastrous Eddie Howe collapse, Celtic appear to be closing in on Ange Postecoglou, who’s reportedly due to arrive within days [Scottish Sun].
For many Celtic players, it’s on the backburner for now. That’s because, like Welsh, many are away on international duty with some preparing for Euro 2020. Welsh himself is currently with Scotland under-21s, and he’s become the first Celtic player to speak out since the Howe talks broken down.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Welsh said: “For the last week I’ve just tried to focus on Scotland. I’m sure the first-team boys will be the same. They’ve got the big tournament coming up so I’ve been concerned with Scotland and getting fit for pre-season.
“We’ll let the board deal with the manager situation — they’re very good at it. I think it will be OK. We know the games are going to come thick and fast. It’s just about adapting and dealing with it. We’ve always had really early qualifiers in the past couple of years. We’ve got big friendlies coming up against good sides like West Ham.
“They will be tough games so we have to come back in good shape. If every player comes back in good nick that’s OK and we’ll let the club deal with it in the proper way. I think everyone has to prove themselves with someone new coming in.”
Stephen Welsh has an incredible opportunity to cement his Celtic place
If everyone has the same feelings as Welsh does regarding the new manager, the dressing room will be in a good place. Granted, you would imagine more of the senior stars would be a touch concerned with what’s been going on behind the scenes.
It’s just unacceptable. To go over 100 days without having appointed a successor to Neil Lennon is outrageous. The fact we put all our eggs in the Eddie Howe basket didn’t reflect well on the apparent planning the club had been doing.
Even so, it looks like it’s all coming to an end. Postecoglou appears all but in the door, and a new era at Parkhead is due to be kickstarted this summer.
As for Welsh, it’s a massive year for him as an individual. He managed an impressive breakthrough season last term with 21 appearances and regular outings in big games [Transfermarkt]. Sure, there were signs that he still has plenty to learn, but at only 21 he still has plenty of room to develop.
With Kris Ajer set to depart and Shane Duffy already gone, Welsh is in a great place. Chris Jullien also being out means that the Scotland under-21 international is likely to be at the heart of our Champions League qualifying campaign.
He’s in a great place to impress the new manager and make himself a part of his first-choice centre-back pairing this summer. Let’s see if he can kick on even further this season.
In other news, what Postecoglou could reportedly do before making a decision on his backroom team.
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