Celtic are seemingly looking to broaden their relations with another club off the field after the pair held talks over deepening their relationship, according to a fresh report.
Celtic updates…
Despite holding pride of place at the top of the Scottish game, Celtic have struggled over recent years to bring through youngsters from their academy base in Lennoxtown and subsequently develop them into first-team regulars at Parkhead. In Brendan Rodgers' current squad, club captain Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Anthony Ralston, Stephen Welsh and peripheral figure Mikey Johnston all fall under the umbrella of Lennoxtown graduates; meanwhile, young stars such as Rocco Vata and Ben Summers have also had brief involvement at senior level over the past year.
Nevertheless, there is a feeling among some supporters that more could be done to facilitate a pathway for youngsters at Parkhead, which is a sentiment Rodgers seems to share, at least if his pre-season interview in early July is anything to go by. Speaking about some of Celtic's young players training with the senior squad during pre-season, the Northern Irishman said: "They’ve been pleasantly surprising. They’ve been really, really good. Sometimes a young player can come in and suffer with the intensity of the training with the first team, but they’ve all coped really well. So that’s been pleasing."
Other avenues of helping Celtic prospects gain experience have also begun to come to fruition for the Scottish Premiership holders, such as their decision to send Adam Montgomery and Bosun Lawal to Fleetwood Town on loan amid tentative suggestions of an off-field link between the two sides.
Celtic also announced a tie-in with Austrian second-tier side Admira Wacker this year and farmed out talented duo Matthew Anderson and Tobi Oluwayemi on loan to the Modling-based outfit to gain first-team exposure. Now, it seems that Celtic and Admira Wacker have moved to deepen their relationship with each other following new reports relating to their connection.
Celtic and Celtic B players currently out on loan (Transfermarkt)
Player
Loan club
Sead Haksabanovic
Stoke City
Yosuke Ideguchi
Avispa Fukuoka
Adam Montgomery
Fleetwood Town
Liam Shaw
Wigan Athletic
Johnny Kenny
Shamrock Rovers
Tobi Oluwayemi
Admira Wacker
Bosun Lawal
Fleetwood Town
Matthew Anderson
Admira Wacker
Ben Summers
Dunfermline Athletic
Ben McPherson
Queens Park
Celtic and Admira Wacker partnership
Cited by The National, Admira Wacker sporting director Peter Stoger and his staff members formed part of a delegation that travelled to Parkhead last week to take in the Hoops' Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid and also discussed formalising their link status, even holding a meeting with Celtic boss Rodgers during their time in Scotland. Stoger spoke about the visit, stating:
"It was about discussing how we can continue to develop cooperation between the clubs. You look for win-win situations where everyone benefits. And Celtic are really very interested in the partnership.
"There’s a good chance we can expand the partnership, but it won’t happen overnight. We also had a meeting with Brendan Rodgers. The Atletico game was fantastic and Celtic Park is definitely one of the best stadiums in Europe with an incredible atmosphere."
In a footballing climate where the threat of young stars being poached by English clubs continues to threaten Celtic's ability to keep hold of prodigious talent, outlets such as partnerships with other sides are becoming an increasingly valuable resource nationwide, making this one to watch.
