Luca Connell's Queen's Park loan has Celtic supporters asking questions

By David Walton

September 18, 2021

The Celtic supporters have been left asking major questions over the progress of Luca Connell after another loan move to Queen’s Park was confirmed yesterday.

Connell spent the second half of last season helping the Spiders win promotion to League One. It seemed an odd move at the time given the fact he had been playing with Bolton two years prior in the English Championship.

However, in an even more concerning move for the player, he’s had to go back to the newly-promoted League One club for another season. Queen’s Park yesterday made the announcement, stating that he would be joining for another season.

When he arrives back at Celtic Park, he’ll only have another year left on his contract. All of a sudden, that four-year contract he signed back in the summer of 2019 will be almost over. And worryingly, he won’t be any closer to first-team action than he was when he signed.

Ange Postecoglou has always stated that he’ll give youngsters a chance if they prove they’re good enough. It’s a concerning sign for Connell then that he hasn’t had a minute of senior action.

Luca Connell development path more concerning than lack of game-time

Many fans will argue that Connell should be getting minutes. That Ismaila Soro hasn’t been good enough and that the Irish youngster has proven he can make the step-up. Clearly, however, Postecoglou doesn’t believe that to be the case.

What’s even more concerning, however, is the trajectory of Connell’s career. He was supposed to sign for Celtic and burst on to new heights. After all, he had just managed to accumulate 12 senior appearances with Bolton in the Championship and FA Cup. He’d tasted high-quality senior football and looked ready to kick on in Glasgow.

Fast forward two years and he’s heading back to a League One club with no indication that he has a long-term Celtic future. When it comes to commenting on the club’s top youngsters, Postecoglou hasn’t actually moved to mention the Republic of Ireland U21 international.

This wasn’t what was pitched to Connell when he arrived. We can’t pretend this was the direction in which his career was supposed to go.

And it’s clear the Celtic fans have been left asking major questions about his return to Queen’s. Here’s a look at how supporters reacted yesterday:

In other news, Chris Sutton has absolutely ripped into Celtic rivals today