Youth/Development Team Thread

We do to be fair. Henderson. Ralston. Robertson. Welsh. Mikey. Dembele..

That's just off my head and some of them have been involved in some pretty big game's as well..

Still want to see more getting more first team minutes though..

Think we could've given Henderson more first team football here instead of going to Dingwall in hindsight..

Robertson looks top drawer and probably deserved a bit more game time after his showing in Cluj and for the youngers in the cross border cup for example..

Dembele is killing it and won't be far away now..

Don't forget we also blood youngsters who we sign as well. Frimpong being the latest that hasn't been held back..

Connell won't be far away either..

They definitely need better and more regular competitive football once we're back though..

 

I tend to think he would have as well once the league was officially won and also as a means to give some players a break that had carried the majority of the load.

 

Not really surprised to see a few start to leave when we’ve started to sign a few youngsters from down south.

Need to get better at giving opportunities.

 

To be fair the one's we've brought in have been more advanced in age group than the one's who have left/are looking to leave..

Afolabi, O'Connor and Connell for example all are more first team ready than say a Liam Morrison just now. That shouldn't be a hindrance..

If we kept signing 16/17 year olds from elsewhere I could understand that more or like a Bruno Davidson coming in and maybe taking Hepburn's place....hypothetically speaking..

 

Afolabi, O’Connor and Connell aren’t anywhere near the first team though.

The younger ones will look at it as them going to get even less of a chance if we’re going out and signing older players who aren’t near first team level.

 

They're closer to first team football at us and first team football in general..

Afolabi is out playing at Dunfermline and doing well. Connell was playing in the championship with Bolton. O'Connor hasn't but is rated really highly and was by United fan's..

Hopefully we can start keeping more of our best 16 and 17 year olds but in most side's, player's from that age group don't get regular game time....or aren't ready for it..

 

Think that’s part of the problem though. We’re bringing in 19/20 year olds who aren’t anywhere near our first team but are ahead of the 16/17 year olds so they see their path getting blocked.

The fact that under the snake we managed to keep Dembele and Johnston when they had offers from massive clubs to now losing 4/5 in a year is a worry.

Every club will always lose talented youngsters but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’re seeing a bit of an exodus at that level after we change policy to sign older youngsters from down south.

 

Hence why they should in my opinion bring back the reserve leagues as this was a good way for younger players to play with seasoned pros more and get tougher and 1st team ready

 

Aye that's a fair point. We are a club who promote youth in to first team training regularly and do give player's game time..

Also have a proven track record of with a couple in our side right now and arguably Mikey if no for injuries..

It's a tough one as we should always be looking for youngsters but it shouldn't be at the detriment of our own..

If we're no giving them a clear pathway then without a doubt that needs to change..

It's tough because we've always had top youngsters being poached..

I think we need to be playing better quality across the continent. We don't qualify for the champions league then we get no next gen game's for the kid's..

We've been playing Chelsea and other's this season but there needs to be more and regularly for me..

 

Get a bunch of them out on loan next season ready to come back after hopefully winning 10IAR

 

CELTIC are delighted to announce that 19-year-old goalkeeper Ryan Mullen has extended his stay at Paradise until the summer of 2023. The Under-19 Scotland internationalist penned his new three-year deal on his 19th birthday (May 18), on the same day Neil Lennon's side were crowned league champions for a ninth consecutive season.

Mullen has worked hard in Tommy McIntyre’s throughout the 2019/20 campaign with some standout performances, including a 3-1 away win over Huddersfield Town at the PPG Canalside in February, and a momentous 1-0 victory over Chelsea U23s in London the previous month.

Mullen was solid from start to finish in both encounters, with his 81st-minute stop in the former match a top-class save which helped get the Hoops over the line against stiff opposition.

Everyone at Celtic Football Club wishes Ryan all the very best for the future.

 

Celtic starlet Daniel Kelly is set to be offered a bumper five-year contract this month to stave off competition from Liverpool and Benfica for his signature.

A host of clubs at home and abroad have been tracking the talented teenager with English Premier League sides Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Leicester also among those showing an interest in the midfielder.


But Lanarkshire Live Sport understands the 14-year-old will be presented with a five-year pre-professional contract in a bid to keep him at Parkhead long-term.

Last year, the Hoops lost defender Liam Morrison to German giants Bayern Munich and they are keen to avoid seeing another hot prospect head for the exit.


Celtic have been pushing for Kelly's signature for some time and hope the offer of a long-term commitment will seal the deal.

However, East Kilbride-based Kelly, who turns 15 in October, has been tracked by some of Europe's elite clubs for almost two years.


In 2018 he was over in Germany for the Santander Cup and helped Celtic finish third behind Juventus and Barcelona's youth sides.


Kelly netted in a 2-0 win over PSV Eindhoven and scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Liverpool, which first brought him to the attention of Anfield scouts.


Reigning Portuguese champions Benfica are also among the big names who have shown an interest.

The former St Leonards Primary School pupil first caught the eye of Celtic playing above his age group for East Kilbride Caledonian Thistle's 2004 team.


He is now on the successful St Ninian's High School programme that helped bring the likes of Kieran Tierney and Mikey Johnston to prominence at Parkhead.

Kelly will be keen to see what Celtic have to offer in terms of a pathway to follow in the footsteps of Tierney - now at Arsenal - but he could be swayed by the impressive academy setups down south.

 

I think you will see other clubs target our younger players for loan moves due to the current pandemic could be a good opportunity to get some of them 1st team football

 

He sounds like a proper talent..

Can we offer 5 year deals to 14/15 year olds?

I thought you had to be 16?

Hopefully we sway him..

 

Clubs invested a bit of money in youth department,are any close to breaking through into first team?

 

Anyone have any idea how Jack Aitchison done on Loan to Forrest Green?

 

Started well and then I think he saw the bench a lot..

He won't make it here. Miles off it..

Decent wee player mind. He'll make a career out of football..

 

Shame as he was highly rated