Liam Shaw had no idea his former teammate was joining Celtic

By Euan Davidson

July 7, 2021

New Celtic signing Liam Shaw admits he didn’t have a clue he’d be joined by an ex team-mate in the form of Osaze Urhoghide.

The duo, both signed from today’s opponents Sheffield Wednesday, were speaking to Celtic TV ahead of this afternoon’s friendly. Shaw, clearly delighted, couldn’t offer enough praise for his team-mate.

Shaw said [Celtic TV]:

“Didn’t expect it at all, but I’m happy to have someone who I know [here], a good team-mate. It’s just nice to have him around. He’s a good kid, he’ll offer a lot on the pitch and off it.

“Just a good guy.”

Talking about life at Celtic, Urhoghide suggested he could already take care of himself, but he didn’t know about Liam Shaw.

Urhoghide said [Celtic TV]:

“In Sheffield, I was cooking for myself. I’m used to taking care of myself, so being in Glasgow is not too much different. So yeah, I can take care for myself, I don’t know about Liam!”

It’s encouraging. At just 20, Urhoghide could’ve been forgiven for sounding a little green after his move up to Glasgow. Instead, he’s got the backing of a former teammate, and he’s self-sufficient. The worry with new, young players is that they’ll struggle to adapt to life at a new club, but Urhoghide is saying all the right things.

Liam Shaw full of praise for Celtic teammate Osaze Urhoghide

If you thought the love-in ended there, you were wrong. Asked to describe his new teammate, Liam Shaw was effusive in his praise for the young defender.

Shaw said [Celtic TV]:

“A lot of energy, good athlete, steps out of the back, either right back or centre back. [He’s] aggressive, combative, and you can always rely on him, he always gives 100%.

“A solid player.”

While Urhoghide didn’t appear in today’s game against his former club, Shaw did, and was impressive, too. While pre-season matches always require a pinch of salt, Shaw was everywhere in his 60 minute appearance.

With quick, tidy passes and a seeming omnipotence on the park, he’s the kind of player we would’ve loved last season, on this small amount of evidence. Happy to patrol different areas of the pitch, we saw Shaw operate across the spine of the team. Starting predominantly as a defender, he came into the midfield to great effect, breaking up opposition attacks and moving the ball along with pace.

Again; let’s not get too carried away. But the dynamic duo of Shaw and Urhoghide seem like a tight-knit, effective pairing. If they can bring their camaraderie to the Celtic dressing room, that’s no bad thing at all.

READ MORE: What did we learn from today’s victory against Sheffield Wednesday?