Celtic B talent Tobi Oluwayemi has admitted to having his opened to the size of the club since his move from Tottenham back in 2019.
Oluwayemi, currently the first-choice goalkeeper for the Celtic B team, has had another productive season. He’s been playing games in the Lowland League as part of Celtic’s initiative to get their youth players minutes at men’s level.
It’s been hugely successful for the youth starlets who will be itching to make their mark in the senior side in the years to come. Oluwayemi is one of those after arriving at Parkhead in 2019 as a highly-regarded member of Tottenham’s academy.
And speaking in the Celtic View [Volume 57, Issue 3, page 76], he’s admitted that he didn’t know much about the Hoops before being hugely impressed.
“Coming up here was something different and a new challenge for me. I loved the size of the club and the pathway that was offered to get me into the first-team. This year’s been good because I’ve been playing a lot of games in the Lowland League and the Glasgow Cup.
“Then I’ve had the chance to go away with the first-team and Europe and get a feel for what that’s like. Even though I’m not playing in the matches, I can almost sense what it’s like to be out there. So hopefully when I get my chance I’m ready as I’ve been in that environment before.
“For me, not being from Scotland means I didn’t truly understand what playing at Celtic was like. Now I’m going to matches and I get to see just how much the club means to people and how much the fans care.”
Celtic have already invested their faith in Tobi Oluwayemi
Despite being 4th choice behind the likes of Joe Hart, Scott Bain, and Vasilis Barkas – Celtic have already shown their commitment in the development of the 19-year-old Oluwayemi.
The Hoops have already moved to tie him down for the long-term as recently as in the summer. They’ve also taken Oluwayemi along to European matchdays to get him involved with the goalkeepers.
Not to mention the youngster is a regular in first-team training too. Ange simply wouldn’t have Tobi up as regularly as he does if he didn’t rate his potential. It’s clear he’s impressed with the B team enough for the manager to keep him involved.
At the moment, Oluwayemi has every right to feel he’s in the driving seat when it comes to being our long-term first-choice. He’s the man who Ange is watching every week in training and getting tips and advice from the likes of Hart and Bain.
Celtic fans have also been able to get a sight of the England under-19 international in B team matches this season. It’s fair to say that some of his shot-stopping has certainly looked impressive too. How he adapts to Ange’s style of play will be fascinating to see.
But it’s clear he’s still learning about Celtic the more he goes away with the first-team. Given what he would’ve been used to in the Tottenham ranks, the passion of the support must certainly be an eye-opener.
In other news, Kris Boyd embarrassingly urged Ange to resign in July; Celtic boss has since shown him up
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