Celtic starlet Dara Jikiemi handed B team debut as Liverpool saga drags on

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Dara Jikiemi has been handed his debut for Celtic’s B team as questions remain over his move to Liverpool.

The defender, who only turned 16 in January, is hot property in the UK, being linked with several Premier League clubs over the last year.

Like every club in Scotland, Celtic are used to having talent poached from their academy, especially since Brexit left Scottish clubs more exposed to English riches than ever.

Given the widespread reporting around Liverpool’s interest in Jikiemi, the timing of his debut for Celtic B is interesting.

Liverpool-linked Celtic starlet Dara Jikiemi makes B team debut

Jikiemi was named in the starting XI for Celtic B’s away clash with Tranent Juniors on Saturday.

The game ended in defeat for the young Hoops, with captain Rhys Dargie’s second half goal unable to prevent a 3-1 defeat.

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Jikiemi is one of several 16-year-olds currently making their breakthrough into the B team, currently being managed by Jonny Hayes on an interim basis.

However, on the same day as his B team debut, teamTALK reported that Liverpool had “won the race” for the teenager who had “rejected” a three-year deal at Celtic for a move to Anfield.

Time will tell if this comes true, but if it is, there are serious shades of how Ben Gannon-Doak opted for a move to Merseyside despite being fast-tracked into the Hoops’ senior team.

Liverpool’s interest in Jikiemi was first reported in November, after intense interest from Nottingham Forest during the summer.

Despite talk of the Celtic starlet agreeing terms with the Reds, the move dragged on, before it eventually emerged that the Hoops were not happy with Liverpool in negotiations.

A prolonged disagreement over compensation means that the 16-year-old’s move has been hanging in the balance for a number of months – but if he doesn’t want to stay at Celtic, the move will happen regardless.

Celtic players to leave the club’s academy in recent years

Gannon-Doak is just the tip of the iceberg – it has become far too common to see Celtic youngsters moving on before breaking through at senior level, given the history of the Hoops’ academy.

Aidan Borland to Aston Villa, Daniel Cummings to West Ham, Rory Mahady to Leeds… the list goes on.

Rocco Vata has been valued at £20m by Watford amid Premier League interest, after he opted to move to the Championship in search of first-team football.

Daniel Kelly moved to Millwall for the same reason, but his move has been less successful so far.

It’s been over five years since Celtic youth duo Liam Morrison and Barry Hepburn made their surprise moves to Bayern Munich. Morrison now plays for Aberdeen on loan from QPR, whilst Hepburn has been a free agent for over a year.