Celtic fans will have their own opinions on Brendan Rodgers’ recent comments surrounding Daniel Kelly and Rocco Vata’s futures, with the latter having already left for Watford this window.
Rodgers has confirmed Vata was offered terms that would’ve seen him become ‘one of the three strikers’ in the senior squad; nevertheless, he is no longer on the books, putting an end to that saga.
Daniel Kelly’s situation looks to be headed in an eerily similar direction. Out of contract in December, the Irishman has admitted the 18-year-old’s absence in pre-season is due to remaining non-committal over an extension at the club.
Rodgers has since communicated that he won’t take part in duties over the summer months until his situation is resolved.
Bayer Leverkusen admire the Scotland Under-19 international. However, these predicaments are often double-edged, depending on how you view them.
The double-edged reality for young players at Celtic
There has been a lot of discussion on this topic overnight, with supporters split in opinion regarding Kelly and Vata’s reality. Of course, these are their careers, nobody else’s, so they are well within their rights to choose what they feel is the best route for their own development.
Personally, I think one factor that possibly factors into making these decisions is the lack of a visible pathway to the first-team, to stress the obvious. Only Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Anthony Ralston and Stephen Welsh are the only faces in the current senior fold that were academy products.
Beyond them, Celtic’s last big-money sale involving a Lennoxtown-reared player came in 2019, when Kieran Tierney left for Arsenal. He earned his boyhood club a record-breaking £25 million fee.
Nevertheless, that isn’t to say the club is always to blame in these scenarios. From what has been reported, both Kelly and Vata have been offered financially advantageous deals but haven’t signed them.
Rodgers is within his right to forgo including players who aren’t fully committed to Celtic. Of course, other factors come into it, but it makes sense for him to focus on those guaranteed to be at Parkhead for the long haul.
Regulations due to the impact of Brexit have made youngsters at Scottish clubs prime targets south of the border. Rarely will a match pass by where scouts from England aren’t watching out for the next star of the future.
On offer are competitive wages, excellent facilities, and a football education that can rival the experience Celtic can offer. Depending on where a starlet may land, there could also be a smoother pathway to the first team.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Celtic will always prioritise domestic success over youth development. Merging both together is the ideal compromise; however, with so much at stake, players need to learn on the job swiftly to help achieve these aspirations.
The definition of a double-edged sword, this is problematic issue with layers to it that aren’t straightforward to root out.
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