Undoubtedly, moving ahead into 2021/22 there needs to be a positive shift towards granting younger players extended first-team opportunities at the club, in order to progress as an entity on a European scale.
Despite the success of bringing through homegrown talents such as Kieran Tierney, James Forrest and Callum McGregor in recent years, there has not been enough of a long-term critical focus on the developmental trajectory of youngsters in a senior environment.
Unfortunately, the Hoops have already lost a raft of youth products of late such as Cameron Harper and Liam Hughes to New York Red Bulls and Liverpool respectively. Whilst they could also be set to suffer the loss of the mercurially talented Karamoko Dembele, as well as stopper Vincent Angelini come the summer to name a few.
Some may argue the likes of Stephen Welsh and Conor Hazard have broken the mould this season, however there is a strong case to be made that they happened to be in the right place at the right time, as opposed to bursting onto the scene after rigorous training with senior professionals akin to Kieran Tierney’s breakthrough.
How do Celtic convince young players to stay put at Lennoxtown moving forward?
Simply put, we need to afford these players the chance to grow as part of the matchday squad. Youth football has great benefits, in terms of nurturing talent and uncovering natural qualities in gifted prospects. In spite of this, these hopefuls will only gain the physical qualities required to make it as a professional against other adults.
Additionally, European football and potential to win trophies as a way of enticing prospective starlets to the club is all well and good, nevertheless we need to ensure granting openings on the biggest stage becomes a common custom to entice premium quality players through the doors of Celtic Park.
Casting an eye across the continent, many clubs of a similar profile to Celtic are exceeding expectations and able to replace prize assets due to having faith in their youth structures, such as Sporting Lisbon, Dinamo Zagreb and Anderlecht. With the budget and player identification tools at the Hoops disposal, why shouldn’t we be looking to bark up similar trees?
Responsibility is also a crucial factor to have the mentality to handle the pressures of playing for Celtic. Although Stephen Welsh perhaps arrived in the side out of necessity, his demeanour, discipline, and striking ability to play a role in leading the backline demonstrates the need for this new generation of players to be a pivotal force for the club going forward.
In what is set to be a monumental rebuild at Parkhead in the next few months, Celtic could do a lot worse than looking to their own stock to try and replenish the anticipated outgoings at the club this summer.
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