Simon Donnelly weighs up Celtic’s chances of signing talented Scottish Premiership duo

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will leave no stone unturned in his quest to strengthen the squad once the summer transfer window opens.

For now, the club’s focus will be on retaining the Scottish Premiership title for a third successive campaign before recruitment becomes the primary focus at Parkhead.

Intriguingly, Celtic have made a key full-time appointment behind the scenes in the form of Mark Cooper, who could have an important say on the transfer front after previously holding employment as the Hoops’ talent spotter in South America.

With Mark Lawwell and Joe Dudgeon leaving as part of an internal shake-up, the wheels are beginning to turn regarding potential recruits, with Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly identified as a target by Rodgers to bolster depth across the last line of defence.

His homegrown status is likely to appeal in light of squad registration rules for Europe; however, he is far from the only Scottish talent to be mentioned in the same breath as Celtic over the last few months.

Fir Park teenage sensation Lennon Miller has been tipped as a potential addition for the Bhoys by several pundits; meanwhile, Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson is another impressive talent making a name for himself in the Scottish top-flight.

Simon Donnelly on Celtic’s chances of signing Miller or Watson

Both players mentioned have come to the fore in the Scottish Premiership this term, with Miller registering one goal and three assists in 29 appearances across all competitions at just 17 years of age [Transfermarkt].

On the other hand, Watson has netted five strikes and laid on three goals in 42 outings for Kilmarnock, per the same outlet, playing a central role in the Ayrshire side clinching a European slot.

Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, former Celtic attacker Simon Donnelly holds admiration for the rising stars; however, he also holds reservations over whether their development would continue at the same rate in the event of a Parkhead switch.

He explained: “I like the lad Lennon Miller. I haven’t seen a lot of young Watson, the thing that sticks out for me is the lovely goal he scored up at Pittodrie. The question mark is, at this young stage of their career, are they going to go to a Rangers or a Celtic and play regularly?  

“I think for their development, these guys are playing on a regular basis at Kilmarnock and Motherwell. Maybe a move between that (would be more viable). You would argue if they went down south and were successful, they would be out of the price market for Celtic and Rangers.

“It’s more for the boys’ development, they’ve found themselves in the first teams now playing on a regular basis, they want to keep that going. Are they at that level where to go into Celtic, would they go into the team and play a lot of Football?”

Celtic should always have a place for local talent

Over the years, many successful Celtic sides have retained a more than a sprinkling of Scottish talent that has transcended managers, and the domestic market has always proved to be a valuable one to the club.

Despite the expanding pool of talent the Bhoys’ are able to profile due to the wonders of modern Technology, there can also be shrewd Business to occur closer to home, with the added carrot of potentially filling trained in Scotland slots for European involvement.

Nobody is saying Celtic should fill their team with only Scottish players; however, it is worth keeping locally-reared stars in mind when aiming to bolster the ranks.