The Italian FA have made changes to squad registration rules that could impact Celtic and other Scottish clubs.
Italy has become a popular destination for young Scottish talent in recent years. The likes of Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig have all moved to Serie A from Scottish clubs and excelled in one of Europe’s leading leagues.
Former Celtic youngster Liam Henderson is another who currently resides in Italy, playing for Florence-based Empoli.
Italy has quickly become an attractive place for Scottish players to live. That was in spite of some pretty challenging post-Brexit rules.
Italian registration rules dictate that clubs are only allowed to sign a maximum of two non-EU players per season.
The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2020 meant that Scottish players were counted as one of the two non-EU signings.
But, in a fresh development, the Italian FA have now decided that British and Swiss citizens will count as EU players. (Football Italia)
This means that, in theory, a Serie A side could sign a full squad of Scottish players this summer.
While the impact won’t be felt overnight, the rule relaxation and current Italian thirst for Scottish talent could well see more and more players depart.
Hoops defender Stephen Welsh has long been linked with a move to Italy. In June, Hellas Verona and Bologna were both credited with an interest in him.
Given the success stories of the likes of Hickey and Henderson, it’s easy to see why Italy would hold appeal for someone like Welsh.
That same could also apply to some of our other squad players. For example, David Turnbull seems like the ideal candidate for a move to Italy if his playing time in Glasgow doesn’t increase.
Republic of Ireland international Mikey Johnston could also be the kind of player Serie A clubs would target.
Of course, UEFA homegrown quotas are likely to play a part as far as Celtic are concerned. We need to have some Scottish talent left at the club.
It’s one to keep an eye on.
In other news, Cameron Carter-Vickers was putting in the hard graft while his Celtic team-mates were in Japan
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