Brendan Rodgers set to sanction first Celtic transfer loan exit of the January window

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With the January transfer window opening in less than 24 hours time, Brendan Rodgers is set to sanction the first Celtic exit.

Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to strengthen Celtic in the coming month, but it does look like his first move will be to allow a player to leave on loan.

The Parkhead club have a number of players who are sitting on the sidelines who will be desperate for game time and with the quality that Rodgers has at his disposal, the Celtic boss has the luxury to do just that.

And it seems that the first Celtic exit looks set to happen as soon as the January window opens as Rodgers sets his stall out early.

Stephen Welsh set for Celtic loan exit

Stephen Welsh looks set to leave Celtic on loan in January as the defender still struggled to command a place in the Hoops’ first-team this season.

The form of Celtic defenders Auston Trusty and Liam Scales means that Welsh is fourth in the pecking order at Parkhead and Rodgers has recognised the need to get the Scottish defender first-team minutes.

The Daily Record says that the Celtic boss has given the ‘green light’ to allow Welsh to do just that and move out on loan with Belgian Pro League side, KV Mechelen.

Sitting eighth in the league table, Mechelen have shipped 26 goals in just 20 games and just three points from the league title play-off places, they see Welsh as a player who can bolster their backline after making offers to land the 24-year-old defender.

Stephen Welsh’s complete Celtic record means loan move makes sense

Despite a brief 18-game loan spell at Greenock Morton in 2019, Welsh has been at Celtic the whole of his career so far.

The defender joined the Parkhead club as a youth player and stepped up the development team in 2017. Making his first-team debut in a 4-0 win over Hamilton Accies in 2017, Welsh has struggled to maintain a regular starting spot in the Celtic first team.

Welsh has made just 68 appearances for Celtic in his career and at at 24, he needs first-team football to aid his development.

Hopefully, a loan spell at Mechelen will allow Welsh to show what he can do to either follow the same path Liam Scales did and earn his place at Celtic or put himself in the shop window as the talented defender would be a first-choice player for most teams in the Scottish Premiership.