2021 Celtic-linked Jed Wallace bossing it with Millwall; pre-contract opportunity available

By David Walton

March 9, 2022

2021 reported Celtic target Jed Wallace is now striking some form at just the right time at English Championship club Millwall.

The right-winger was linked with the Hoops as well as the likes of Rangers, West Ham, and Newcastle back in September ahead of the January transfer window [Football League World]. It was then reported by the same source 2 weeks later that he was unlikely to sign a new deal with his current club, leaving his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Fast forward 6 months and Wallace still hasn’t committed to Millwall. But at the same time, the Lions didn’t sell him in January either. There were reports that he was pushing for a January exit [The Sun], but he stated today that he was never likely to leave [BBC].

And he’s picked the right time to hit a serious purple patch in England’s second-tier too. In his last 5 games, Wallace has racked up 3 assists and 1 goal. That’s taken him to an overall total for the season to 6 goals and 9 assists in just 29 Championship games [Transfermarkt]. Fine going for a side who are notoriously inconsistent.

Wallace has primarily operated as a right-winger this season but has impressive versatility. He can also feature as a number 10 and has even featured up front on one occasion – bagging a goal and an assist in that particular outing against Blackpool.

Millwall apparently flat out refused to sell the former England under-19 international in January [Nottingham Post]. Understandable given their own promotion hunt. But now, there’s nothing to stop interested parties coming forward and making a move to bag him for nothing this summer.

What would Jed Wallace offer Celtic that we don’t already have?

First of all he would likely be consistently available for selection. Ever since becoming a regular in the Millwall first-team 5 years ago, he hasn’t suffered a single substantial injury that has kept him out for a period of time. James Forrest, meanwhile, has been out for heavy periods of this season and only scored his first league goal of the campaign on Sunday.

He would also bring a wealth of experience having stayed loyal to Millwall since his arrival there in 2017. Wallace has played 251 times for the club and has bagged 42 goals and 46 assists in that period. Working his way up from League Two to the Championship, where he’s played 220 times, it’s evident he certainly wouldn’t lack know-how [Transfermarkt].

Wallace has shown himself to be a skilled crosser of the ball and a technically gifted ball-carrier down the flanks. But he’s also extremely direct and uses all of the space available to him when getting at the opposition. Whether it be on the right or through the middle, the Englishman is a proven goal threat and efficient in one-v-one situations.

It is debatable as to whether Celtic actually need another right-winger in the mix. You could understand the argument against given we have Forrest and Liel Abada battling it out for now.

But if Wallace is available for nothing, this would be absolutely risk-free and would give us another versatile attacking option. Tweaks will need to be made in the summer, and we’ve seen how profitable it can be to sign some of the best talent the Championship has with the addition of Matt O’Riley. Wallace could easily make a similar impact here.

There will undoubtedly be interest the closer we get to the summer. It’s not yet even clear whether this is a player on Ange Postecoglou’s radar either. But he ticks plenty of boxes and would be a shrewd acquisition at 27 years of age. Time will tell if this is something we’re keen on.

In other news, Callum McGregor absolutely loving his new Celtic role under Ange Postecoglou