It didn’t take Stephen Welsh too long to reintroduce himself to the Motherwell crowd on Wednesday night after leaving Celtic on deadline day.
The Celtic loanee was wearing the green and white colours just last week, and then, in next to no time, he was scoring for Motherwell against Rangers and denting their title hopes.
It was a sight to behold for Celtic fans, but it just raised the question of whether the Hoops were right to loan out Welsh.
The man who replaced him is Benjamin Arthur, and Gordon Dalziel thinks sticking with Welsh would have been the ‘safer’ bet for Martin O’Neill’s side.
Has Stephen Welsh proven a point to Celtic with his Motherwell form?
Celtic told Stephen Welsh has the passing ability to play for the Hoops
Many feel that Motherwell are playing the best football in Scotland right now. That’s why Jens Berthel Askou is being linked to the Celtic job.
Bearing that in mind, Dalziel thinks it proves that Welsh is good enough for Celtic because his passing is just ‘brilliant.’
Speaking on Open Goal, Dalziel labelled Welsh as ‘top-class’, after he scored for ten-man Motherwell against Rangers in midweek.
Gordon Dalziel: “I can’t fathom that out. Even the way Celtic want to play. I watched Welsh and his use of the ball. See his weight of pass to players? It’s brilliant.
“I didn’t think Welsh was as good a player until I watched him. And, by the way, good in the air.”
Derek Ferguson: “That’s down to the manager, for me. Believes in him. Tells him that you are a good player, and you can play this type of football. Go and do it. Don’t worry about it.”
Dalziel: “I would have gone for the safer bet with Welsh. I think Welsh is top-class.”
James McFadden: “I wouldn’t have. I want him at Motherwell.”
Welsh’s passing numbers for Motherwell
Right now, you would probably think that Welsh’s career lies elsewhere, and he will probably be at Motherwell again next season.
But if Askou does become Celtic’s next manager, then it might just open the door for Welsh’s future.
Either way, this is how the Celtic loanee has fared, when it comes to passing stats, at Fir Park this season.
- Premiership games: 16
- Total passes per game: 63.8
- Passing accuracy: 92.1%
- Accurate Long balls per game: 3
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