Celtic have a long list of players who have spent time in the academy system before heading elsewhere to achieve career success.
For some individuals, sometimes it doesn’t work out the way they initially intended, though that doesn’t mean they can’t go on to establish themselves somewhere else in the footballing landscape.
Irish defender Eoghan O’Connell would fall into this bracket, given that he broke through at the beginning of Brendan Rodgers’ first tenure at Parkhead.
Nevertheless, the 28-year-old made just 13 senior appearances for Celtic before departing for the now-defunct Bury [Transfermarkt].
Since then, he has enjoyed spells with Rochdale, Charlton Athletic and Wrexham in the lower leagues of the English pyramid, winning promotion with the latter to Sky Bet League One as the Dragons’ mercurial rise under Hollywood owners Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds continues.
Wrexham have become one of the most recognisable brands in the Football League, and O’Connell can see similarities between his time at the Racecourse Ground and his upbringing at Parkhead.
Eoghan O’Connell on life at Wrexham amid Celtic observation
Historically, Wrexham are a sizeable club that competed in the latter stages of the European Cup Winners Cup in the 1980s before sliding into the lower reaches of English football in the 2000s amid financial trouble.
Nevertheless, McElhenny and Reynolds have revived the Dragons, and O’Connell has shed light on similar features between the Dragons and Celtic while discussing their commendable promotion achievement.
He explained when discussing the potential for Wrexham to expand their fanbase [The Athletic]: “This club can become as big as it wants.
“Wrexham are global. That hit us all in the summer, when we were in North Carolina playing Chelsea (pre-season friendly).
“I remember being in the tunnel before the warm-up. They went out, and there was a little roar. We then went out, and the place really lifted. That’s why I say it is a global club.
“I also think back to Halifax away last year and the numbers we took (4,500 away supporters). We got beat but I remember thinking in the warm-up it was similar to a Celtic away day when I was there as a younger player.”
O’Connell makes some intriguing observations, and it is positive to see the career he has carved out for himself since moving on from Parkhead in 2017.
Both clubs share an unspoken connection that goes back some way, making O’Connell’s success in North Wales a nice coincidence for those partial to either side.