Celtic have been, quite rightly, lauded in recent years for the player trading and recruitment model.
Not only do Celtic identify players who can star in the first team but their ability to develop them into players who can play at the very top level and then command huge transfer fees is second to none in Scotland.
Matt O’Riley joining Brighton for £25m is a perfect example of this after Celtic purchased him for £1.5m as a 21-year-old.
And Brendan Rodgers could do this again for Celtic if he takes a look at three youngsters who are shining for their clubs in the UEFA Youth League this season.
With Celtic performing well in the UEFA tournament, it seems like the most logical place to have a look at young up-and-coming players.
RB Salzburg’s Edmund Baidoo is an option for Celtic’s attack
Edmund Baidoo made the summer switch to RB Salzburg from Norwegian second-tier side Sogndal. He has since made his first team debut for the Austrian Bundesliga side with a 17-minute cameo in Salzburg’s 5-0 defeat to Sturm Graz earlier this month.
However, it is in UEFA’s youth tournament the tricky attacker has shone with one goal and three assists in wins over Brest and Sparta Prague.
Baidoo made 22 appearances for Sogndal scoring nine goals and creating seven which clearly caught the eye of Salzburg.
Predominantly a right-winger, the Ghanaian has also been known to play on the left flank or as a centre-forward and would offer versatility to the Celtic front line.
Celtic should look at Benfica’s young striker Gustavo Varela
Celtic have had a lot of success looking at youngsters from Benfica having purchased the likes of Jota and Paulo Bernardo from the Portuguese giants.
This is why Rodgers should take another look at young Gustavo Varela who is shining in the Benfica youth team and at the UEFA tournament.
In two games for the Benfica B side, Varela has scored three goals in total with one in a draw with Atletico Madrid and a double against Crvena Zvezda in a 2-1 win over the Serbian youngsters.
Overall, the 19-year-old striker has made 52 combined appearances at youth level for the Portuguese side and Greek youngsters PAOK scoring 16 goals.
On top of his caps at U20 level, Varela has been capped 13 times from U17 to u19 level for Portugal hitting four goals in the process.
Celtic should eye PSV’s goalscoring midfielder Joel van den Berg
Celtic’s midfield is probably the strongest area of the team right now but looking for a successor to Callum McGregor must also be on Rodgers’ mind.
The Celtic captain still has plenty of seasons in him yet but if Celtic could get a hold of PSV’s Joel van den Berg, he could learn a great deal from McGregor when that time comes.
With 10 caps at U16 and U15 level, van den Berg showed his potential early as he made his way in the game.
The 19-year-old has found life in the UEFA Youth League tough after suffering defeats to Juventus and Sporting Lisbon but that doesn’t take away from what he could offer Celtic.
Predominantly a central midfielder, the young Dutchman has been known to play in the attacking midfield role as well as a centre forward.
In 46 youth appearances, van den Berg has scored 11 goals and created four. Interstingly, UEFA has him listed as a defender so it seems the youngster also has versatility that could appeal to the Celtic boss.
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