Celtic reportedly after young Wigan attacker Sean McGurk

By Euan Davidson

January 13, 2021

Celtic love a wind-up merchant, and Wigan youngster Sean McGurk fits the bill perfectly.

With Edouard likely looking for his next move, Ajeti misfiring and Klimala on the fringes, the Bhoys need attacking options. Leigh Griffiths, then, may have found antagonistic foil upfront, if reports are correct.

Yesterday, Sun journalist Alan Nixon tweeted that Celtic were amongst the clubs interested in McGurk, 17, who has impressed youth coaches at Wigan Athletic. Leeds Live followed up on that reporting, claiming that the Lilywhites had a bid knocked back for the young attacking midfielder.

Wigan Athletic seems to be the place for promising players, with Celtic also linked heavily to Kyle Joseph (Daily Record).

McGurk made his name in an FA Youth Cup tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford. After scoring for the Latics, the Liverpool supporter held up a “six times” gesture with his hands (Liverpool Echo). That was to indicate how many times his beloved Reds had won the European Cup.

It was a beautiful act of on-field trolling, that calls to mind Leigh Grifffiths’ Ibrox scarf antics (Scotsman). Or, indeed, pretty much anything Scott Brown does.

McGurk is also – inevitably – linked with a move to Rangers. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Steven Gerrard knows the youngster from coaching Liverpool’s academy sides.

You simply love to see it: Celtic target McGurk winds up Red Devils / (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Sean McGurk: a welcome Celtic addition?

Leeds have a history of snapping up Wigan talents. Only last year, Joe Gelhardt made the move (Leeds Live).

Wigan’s financial woes have seen them lose a number of promising youth players. It’s an agonising scenario for Latics fans, because clearly, the youth coaching at the club is paying dividends on the pitch.

However, with contracts like McGurk’s running out in the summer, it’s not making the club anything like a profit. For the bean counters at Wigan, hair must be at a premium, given how much of it they’re presumably tearing out.

McGurk, from attacking midfield, “has scored 25 goals in 31 starts for Wigan’s Under-18s side in the last 18 months” (Yorkshire Evening Post). That’s a frankly incredibly return from the number 10 position, which calls to mind former Celtic man Kris Commons.

Whether Celtic can actually get this done is another question. In any case, much like the days of Northern Soul, Wigan is the place to go. Between McGurk and Joseph, there are real talents available cheaply.

The Bhoys would be remiss to not be more aggressive here