A potential Celtic move for Allan Campbell should at least be discussed

By David Walton

May 12, 2021

There is a potential pre-contract option for Celtic this summer should they decide to make a move for Motherwell’s Allan Campbell.

The combative midfielder is leaving the Fir Park club at the end of the season as his contract winds down. Motherwell boss Graham Alexander confirmed yesterday that the club were looking to keep him, but that their attempts had been rebuffed [Daily Record].

Campbell will leave the North Lanarkshire club and will break 160 appearances for the club he’s been at his entire career. This season alone, he’s been a constant battler in their engine room, with 39 appearances to his name [Transfermarkt].

Celtic fans will remember him well from February’s 2-1 win against Motherwell at Celtic Park. Campbell delightfully lobbed Scott Bain with a classy effort to haul them back into the game. That was one of five goals scored this season.

Not bad considering his game isn’t necessarily about getting forward. Whilst he’s box-to-box, he’s certainly more of a ball-winner than a forward threat. His tenacity in the middle of the park leaves plenty of opposition players rattled, as he consistently breaks up threatening attacks.

A Celtic move for Allan Campbell comes with absolutely no risk

Even though Celtic don’t necessarily need the reinforcements in midfield, this one would be extremely low-risk. John Kennedy said yesterday that Celtic make it their priority to be aware of all up-and-coming Scottish talents. Campbell fits the bill in that regard.

Then again, you have to ask yourself whether the new boss would even be interested. Say the new man is Eddie Howe. Is he really going to be fully clued in on a midfielder from Motherwell who’s leaving for free? Would Campbell really be at the top of his list for a midfielder with the contacts he has down south?

Allan Campbell scores at Celtic Park / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Doubtful to say the least, but it’s certainly worth a conversation. It’s easy to forget that Campbell is only 22, only a year older than David Turnbull. The experience and quality he’s shown for Motherwell at such a young age is impressive. Our best player this season came from Fir Park in Turnbull, so it’s important to always be aware of the talent developing at other Premiership clubs.

As things stand, Celtic haven’t been one of the clubs officially linked. The likes of Hibs and Aberdeen have been credited with an interest along with English clubs [The Scotsman]. But the option is there if the club wants to take a chance on him, and he’s certainly shown he’s capable of showing up well in the Premiership.

And Campbell’s contract situation has led to an interesting debate amongst Celtic fans. It’s fair to say, despite the odd calls for us to leave this one, there are certainly plenty of fans interested. Here’s a look at what they’re saying below:

“Could do a lot worse” “No point”

In other news, Celtic’s latest plan could be exactly what we need to halt a major Lennoxtown issue.