Examining the curious case of Celtic’s young Irishmen following Johnny Kenny’s move
Johnny Kenny’s move to Celtic has been greeted with mixed feeling by Irish fans and understandably so.
The 18 year old has the potential to be one of the League of Ireland’s best ever exports and departs Sligo Rovers on a 5 year deal. He looks set to link up with Celtics B team where he will join fellow Irishman Bosun Lawal and under-18 players Ben Quinn and Rocco Vata who are on the cusp of the Hoops second string side.
However, many will wonder if this move will serve Kenny’s development well considering he is about to swap senior football for reserve football and also given the alternative move to Hibernian where first team football may have been more immediate. Many will also cite the disappearance of many highly rated Irish youngsters who left already promising situations to potentially make a dent at the first team at Parkhead. Armstrong Oko-flex is a prime example of a player who found first team appearances hard to come by and is now thriving having departed the Glasgow giants for West Ham.
Kenny is an undoubted talent and given Ange Postecoglou’s decision to hand players like Owen Mofatt and Joey Dawson their first team debuts, he could find himself in the first team sooner than anticipated. He will also take heart from the progress of Liam Scales who albeit is 5 years older, was trusted very swiftly to make the transition from League of Ireland to SPL.
It seems strange that so many Irish youngsters and extremely promising ones at that have fallen by the wayside at Parkhead. With many out on loan, there is a possibility that the first team action they are gaining is sculpting them for the first team but for others, it is hard to see where they will fit into the club. We take a look at some of Celtic’s Irishmen who joined the club in what initially looked like a mega move but has so far been underwhelming.
Lee O’Connor
Currently on his third loan away from Parkhead and second stint at Tranmere Rovers, Lee O’Connor has perhaps slipped away from the level he was considered to have potential comfort since departing Manchester United in 2019. O’Connor was considered a better player than Brandon Williams by many, another player comfortable in either fullback position, who got his chance for United just a couple of months after O’Connor had left the club. Perhaps if O’Connor had remained at Old Trafford, it could have been him who broke into the first team over Williams? Despite winning a senior Ireland cap against New Zealand and registering an assist for good measure, the 21 year old has yet to feature for the Hoops. Despite an inconsistent run of games for Tranmere, O’Connor has impressed whenever afforded the chance and has also operated in midfield, showing his versatility. This could appeal to Ange Postecoglou upon his return to Glasgow.
Luca Connell
Like O’Connor, it seems a mystery that a player who was held in such high esteem was loaned out so rapidly with Luca Connell another Irishman yet to feature for Celtic. Connell already had 12 league appearances for then Championship side Bolton despite only being 17 for the majority of those appearances. His form saw him linked with the likes of Spurs and also earned him a call-up to Mick McCarthy’s senior Ireland squad, only to withdraw through injury. Now on loan with Queens Park in the Scottish third tier, Connell is apparently dominant in the league, operating in midfield and demonstrating excellent technical ability. He has scored 7 goals in 32 appearances between two loan spells and will hopefully be given a chance in a Celtic midfield that would certainly suit his game.
Jonathan Afalobi
Another player to depart the Premier League for Glasgow with little joy to show for it, it was announced just days ago that Celtic are listening to offers for Tallaght man Jonathan Afalobi. The 21 year old has managed just 1 goal on loan at Ayr this season having scored 6 goals between loan spells at Dundee and Dunfermline last season. This lack of progress is disappointing given Afalobi’s promise shown in the 2019 under-19 Euro’s where he was named in the team of the tournament. A move back to Ireland might kick start his career but his departure from Southampton to Parkhead has certainly been less than successful.
Barry Coffey
Nenagh native Barry Coffey has perhaps been one of Ireland’s most promising internationals on the underage circuit for many years now and has adapted well to first team football during loan spells with Cliftonville and Cork City. An energetic and creative midfielder, Coffey found the net 5 times assisting 3 goals for City last season in the second tier of Irish football. Many will hope that his progress has been noted by Postecoglou but with the youngster’s contract set to expire in the summer, he will need to continue his momentum.
Bosun Lawal
Similarly to O’Connor and Afalobi, Bosun Lawal was one of the hottest properties in British underage football before making the move north. Awarded the academy player of the year at Watford, Lawal has already featured in Jim Crawford’s Ireland under-21 squad. Still only 18, Lawal is a versatile and athletic player who can operate in defence and midfield but does not seem to be getting a huge amount of game time with Celtics B outfit.
Nick, The Green Machíne Podcast
