Celtic are set to complete their first permanent sale of January.
Martin O’Neill is devoting all of his energy to incomings at the moment, and understandably so, with the attack in such desperate need of help.
He asked the media to ‘cut him some slack’ after the 1-0 win over Falkirk, losing patience with constant questions from the media surrounding transfers.
Stephen Welsh has been recalled from his loan at Motherwell as a safety-first measure amid a lack of centre-back options, though O’Neill has admitted that the defender could return to Fir Park later in the window.
But another young Hoops centre-back is now reportedly on the move to a Premiership side after an impressive loan deal.
Tobi Oluwayemi’s excellent penalty save for Kilmarnock
Celtic youngster Mitchell Robertson ‘set’ for Livingston move
Mitchell Robertson was the captain of Celtic’s B team last season; ever-present in Stephen McManus’ defence.
This earned him a loan move to Inverness in Scottish League One this season, where he has enjoyed a successful six months, helping Caley Thistle in their push for immediate promotion.
READ MORE: Callum McGregor says Celtic’s ‘mentality is back’ under Martin O’Neill after Falkirk win
And now, according to the Daily Record, this has caught the eye of Davie Martindale, who is set to complete the signing of the 20-year-old on a permanent basis.
Crucially, the move will not take place until the end of the season, with Robertson set to see out his loan in the Highlands.
This leaves ambiguity over what division he will be playing in next season, given that Livi are currently eight points adrift from guaranteed safety.
Livi currently have another defender on loan from Celtic, in the shape of Adam Montgomery. However, the left-back has been injured since October.
His fellow Celtic B defender and namesake Mitchel Frame, one of the youngest players to ever play for Celtic in the Champions League, also completed a permanent move to the Scottish Premiership last summer, joining Aberdeen.
Frame is yet to even make a matchday squad for the Dons, however, so Robertson will be hoping to avoid a repeat of that.
The player that has impressed the most since Martin O’Neill’s return is…
Stephen Welsh on his loan away from Celtic
Speaking less than a week before his return to Celtic, Welsh told Motherwell’s website: “I was told when I was young that I needed to play on the halfway line and that I needed to be good on the ball.
“If you’re not good on the ball, you’re not going to play for Celtic. I feel I’ve managed to bring that into the team.
“We need to be good on the ball, and we need to be brave, and having midfielders like Elliot [Watt], Lukas [Fadinger] and Oscar [Priestman], they always want to be on the ball, which is a dream for a centre-back.
“But also, the boys around us centre-backs, the full-backs and also Liam [Gordon] and Paul [McGinn] – have been outstanding.
“They’re probably not as used to being on the ball because they’ve maybe not played this way before.
“You need a manager who is going to come in and implement a style and ensure everyone knows their roles. I always think it’s a bit of a myth in Scottish football that Scottish centre-halves can’t play this way.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
