Stephen O’Donnell has played down talk of a move to Celtic this summer. The Kilmarnock defender has been rumoured as a target for Neil Lennon since the Northern Irishman was offered the Celtic job at the end of May.
O’Donnell’s performances for high-flying Kilmarnock coupled with the Bhoys’ need for a right-back has intensified chatter of a move to the east end of Glasgow. However, the 27-year-old has now distanced himself from a potential transfer, passing it off as speculation.
He told the Daily Record: “I’m going everywhere apparently.
“Motherwell is quite handy to get to, I guess!
“It’s flattering to be linked with these clubs, but I’d love to know the sources sometimes.”
Are Celtic interested?
It’s hard to know whether the O’Donnell rumours have substance or whether they are results of so-called “lazy journalism”.
The right-back has had a stellar season for both club and country. He started 36 of Killie’s 38 league matches as they qualified for Europe for the first time since 2001. His early season performances saw him earn a call-up to the Scotland squad under Alex McLeish and that has continued under Steve Clarke too.
O’Donnell has eight caps in total for his country, and looks the most likely to nail down a spot in perhaps the weakest area of the Scotland team.
Funnily enough, Celtic have a similar issue in the position and O’Donnell could once again be seen as the saviour. The former Luton Town man has just a year remaining on his contract at Rugby Park so could be available for a cut price this summer.
The majority of Celtic fans would be unlikely to take to the signing at all. O’Donnell has probably played at a similar level to Mikael Lustig over the past couple of seasons. If the Swede moves on this summer then there could be use for O’Donnell as a second choice. However, going into the new season with a player of that calibre as our main right-back would be deeply concerning.
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