Josh Mulligan still has his feet on the ground at Hibs.
Speaking this week, he insisted that he was not “looking to get out the door” at Easter Road, instead choosing to block out the transfer noise.
Until this point, there have been no reports of bids for Mulligan, in whom Celtic showed interest in January.
Shortly after the Hoops’ interest was reported, the Hibs midfielder suffered a long-term injury that would keep him out until the end of the season.
🤔 Should Celtic buck the trend of not signing Scottish Premiership players and push to sign Josh Mulligan this summer?
Josh Mulligan has publicly addressed Celtic and Rangers links
The injury disrupted momentum that had led to reports of interest from the Premier League in Mulligan, a sign that his performances were seriously turning heads.
Given the ever-thinning market of homegrown-eligible Scottish players, can Celtic afford to wait?
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Mulligan would be an exceptional addition to Martin O’Neill’s midfield. His combination of physicality and positivity was sorely absent last season.
Many winced at a £7 million price tag for Kieron Bowie in January, but just six months later, his price tag already doubled after his form in Serie A.
Instead of looking down on the Scottish Premiership, it’s time to start making use of a league on our doorstep which has developed a reliable conveyor belt to Europe’s top five leagues.
£6 million for a homegrown player of Mulligan’s profile would be sensible… whether the club are willing to stomach paying that for a domestic player is a different question.
The much more likely possibility is that he moves to England or Europe at a later point, and his value only keeps on rising.
The club’s hesitance to sign domestic-based players harms nobody but themselves. Mulligan would be the perfect signing to buck that trend.
💪 A 6 ft 2, varied defensive midfielder…
Mory Gbane looks like someone Celtic could do with 👀
Josh Mulligan on his Hibs future
Mulligan told the Hibs Observer: “Since I’ve started playing first-team football, there have been fewer players going to Celtic and Rangers.
“Back in the day, I think everyone wanted to go there for a big move, but recently, it’s not been as common.
“But I’m not looking to get out the door. I want to be here; I love playing for Hibs, and I want to keep showing what I can do in a Hibs shirt.”
The ongoing trend that Mulligan mentions is unsustainable for Celtic as UEFA continue to maintain their strict registration rules.
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