The transfer window is now open and Celtic will be keen to put their best foot forward in negotiations to get players through the door over the coming weeks.
Several areas need to be addressed ahead of the new campaign by Brendan Rodgers; nevertheless, there are also internal matters requiring a solution before too long.
According to reports, Watford are the latest club to open talks with Celtic youngster Rocco Vata amid his contract being set to expire at Parkhead, though he still has an offer on the table from the Hoops to extend his stay.
Daniel Kelly will be available on a free transfer at the end of 2024, with the latest on contract talks regarding the midfielder still unclear. Manchester United are mooted to be admirers of the Scotland Under-19 international.
Securing the future of prodigious talent has been an issue for Celtic over recent years, but how do they evade allowing their contracts to run down in the future?
Celtic and their contractual frustrations with youngsters
It doesn’t feel like Celtic would’ve wanted either player to run their contract down to this point. Ultimately, it makes no sense from a business perspective not to have young talent tied down, even if the only benefit from the length of their deals is selling them for financial capital.
That throws up questions surrounding why this has become the case; it isn’t as if the Bhoys have a shortage of money to spend.
On that point, one of the main reasons for this has to be their belief in the chances of being able to secure a genuine pathway to the first team at Parkhead, which has proven hard to come by for hopefuls in recent years.
Karamoko Dembele, Owen Moffat and Ben Doak are three men who sporadically featured at senior level before departing for alternative destinations, just to provide some examples.
Vata and Kelly don’t owe anything to Celtic, per se; the only thing they will be prioritising is their own career. If they don’t get given promises of a roadmap to establishing themselves at the Bhoys during contract negotiations, what is the point in them sticking around?
Of course, there may be part of their situation may lean towards keeping their options open, which is a frustrating element of both sagas that leaves their current employers in the dark. However, why wouldn’t you evaluate the best path for your own development, it isn’t anyone else’s life, is it?
Personally, I’d be delighted to see both commit their future to Celtic and stay on for years to come. Either way, it is helpful to explore the other side of the coin from an honest perspective and without bias; otherwise, will situations like this ever be rectified?
Parkhead chiefs need to devise a strategy to avoid deadlocks like this arising in the future. Young talent should be given an avenue to thrive at Celtic, so it will be intriguing to see if changes are made in the future to retain academy graduates.