Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will be aware that the shape of his squad may change during the summer transfer window.
Citing the obvious, the Bhoys are set to have a new number-one goalkeeper come 2024/25 amid news that Joe Hart is retiring from professional football.
Loanees Adam Idah and Paulo Bernardo don’t have clarity over their long-term futures at Parkhead; meanwhile, it remains to be seen what is in the pipeline for Mikey Johnston, Hyeokkyu Kwon, and Bosun Lawal, who are spending time away from Parkhead after being temporarily farmed out.
Either way, Rodgers will be expected to create space for new arrivals, which will create anticipation over what direction the Irishman will go in to bolster his ranks.
One matter that sections of the support have cited is the need for Celtic to either grow or import homegrown talent to meet squad quotas for UEFA competitions.
David Turnbull’s departure in January has made Daniel Kelly’s emergence as a senior player less complicated; however, Rodgers did admit that Scott Bain could also leave a vacant slot by seeking a new challenge in the summer [Sky Sports].
Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Rocco Vata has from various Italian clubs as his contract stalemate continues. On the same token, you wouldn’t hang your hat on James McCarthy being at the club next season despite his trained-in-Scotland status.
Stephen McGinn thinks Connor Barron may appeal to Celtic
With our senior homegrown options dwindling slightly, Aberdeen midfielder Connor Barron was mentioned on The Go Radio Football Show amid his potential availability on a free transfer at the end of the season [Transfermarkt].
Per the same outlet, the 21-year-old has made 34 appearances for the Dons in all competitions this campaign, registering one goal and two assists.
Pundit Stephen McGinn has shared his belief that although Barron would struggle to break into the Celtic midfield, certain factors would make him an appealing option for Rodgers to consider.
He stated: “He’s a free transfer in the summer, a really talented player. I watched him last week for the (Scotland) Under-21s. I can’t see him getting into the Celtic or Rangers midfield at this time.
“The reason he would appeal to me if I was Celtic or Rangers is the quota for (him) being Scottish. He’s young, a very talented kid, he’s a free transfer, he ticks a lot of boxes, but I just couldn’t see him at this moment of time getting a game for Celtic or Rangers.
He later added: “You look at (Daniel) Kelly at Celtic, Bailey Rice at Rangers; the academy guys will probably feel that they’ve got someone like-for-like that they’d like to push from within their own academy.”
Celtic will assess their homegrown talent pool
Intriguingly, Celtic manager Rodgers has expressed his desire to bring through more youngsters directly from Lennoxtown to the first team. This would go a long way to ensuring our European squad submissions are packed with emerging talent rather than bit-part players.
Whether he would enter the Scottish market is another question entirely. Casting an eye across the Scottish Premiership, Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller and Kilmarnock’s David Watson could be the best solutions to help solve our homegrown conundrum.
Barron has also shown his credentials at Pittodrie, though we will need to wait and see if the club decide to shop on their doorstep this summer.