Osaze Urhoghide addresses prospect of leaving Celtic permanently this summer

By Euan Davidson

March 2, 2022

Osaze Urhoghide is keeping the door open for a permanent move from Celtic to KV Oostende, where he’s currently on loan.

Urhoghide followed Jack Hendry’s path, with the Scotland defender taking in a year in Oostend before moving to Club Brugge. Urhoghide, only signed in the summer of 2021, impressed in a Europa League match against Real Betis. It was obvious he’d be loaned out, but an option-to-buy clause with KV Oostende was a surprising addition.

The defender, who is enjoying life in Belgium, spoke directly with KVO’s in-house media, and gave some intriguing answers in a brief Q+A session.

He said of his future beyond this season [KVO]: “I will be very happy if I still play at Ostend next season. 

“I’m having a great time here, but I also felt great in Celtic! I now have to try to prove myself, so that KV Oostende will certainly consider the purchase option. And then we’ll see what happens.”

Asked whether he’d spoken to Jack Hendry, Urhoghide confirmed: “To be honest, no. 

“I knew who he was and that he had made the step from Celtic to Ostend. But it is certainly not the case that I sent him a message in advance. I saw that he had already left here and we never played together at Celtic.”

Does Osaze Urhoghide have a Celtic future, or will Bhoys sell to KV Oostende once more?

This would be a strange one. On the surface, you could argue that Celtic paid a development fee for Urhoghide, and could almost immediately can make a profit.

However, that doesn’t seem very Celtic. It’d be unlikely that Osaze Urhoghide signed for the Hoops just to move to Belgium 12 months or so later. It doesn’t strike me as a way the club would treat a player, especially one there seemed such high hopes for.

Because Urhoghide can play. We know there’s a talent there, and that’s what made his loan-to-buy clause such an eyebrow-raiser. It doesn’t appear as if there was any falling out or behind-the-scenes drama. Urhoghide needed time away from Celtic to develop.

That was, surely, with the intention of bringing him back to the fold in time.

Nonetheless, Urhoghide sounds like he’d consider a move to KV Oostende. He’s not outright saying yes or no, and it’d be odd if he was at this point. But he’s refusing to rule it out, and that’s interesting.

If he gives KV Oostende something to think about, at the very least, then he’ll have done a good job. And if he’s done a good job, it makes it all the more compelling from a Celtic point of view. Expect this one to rumble on.

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