Kenny will train with the first team as new signing ready to impress the manager from the get-go…
New Celtic signing Johnny Kenny has today gave his first interview since joining the club last week. Speaking to Celtic TV, the former Sligo Rovers star spoke honestly as he stated it will be a dream to play in front of 60,000 fans at Celtic Park, a stadium with such history.
What I liked was that the young prospect didn’t feel like he had to pin his colours to the mast and say that he’s been a lifelong Celtic fan and this was the only club he ever wanted to play for as many have done in the past. Instead he stated that it was a no brainer to come to such a big club who many family and friends support back home. This shows inner confidence that he didn’t feel like he had to come out as a Celtic diehard. Well played young man.
New Celtic signing Johnny Kenny has today gave his first interview since joining the club last week. Speaking to Celtic TV, the former Sligo Rovers star spoke honestly as he stated it will be a dream to play in front of 60,000 fans at Celtic Park, a stadium with such history.
What I liked was that the young prospect didn’t feel like he had to pin his colours to the mast and say that he’s been a lifelong Celtic fan and this was the only club he ever wanted to play for as many have done in the past. Instead he stated that it was a no brainer to come to such a big club who many family and friends support back home. This shows inner confidence that he didn’t feel like he had to come out as a Celtic diehard. Well played young man.
Speaking about joining the Ange Postecoglou revolution at Celtic Park he said: “It feels amazing. Thankfully it’s over the line now and it’s time to get down to work and impress the manager and get in and amongst it all.
“I had a good season with Sligo and it was great to play there but when Celtic come in it’s a no brainer. It’s such a big club here and back home and so many of my family and friends support the club, so I couldn’t wait to get here.
“Coming from the Showground, it’s a lovely ground in Sligo and its home but when you come here it’s just something different. Playing in front of 60,000 fans at Celtic Park will be a dream come true at a stadium with such history.”
“I’m looking forward to playing in-front of the fans and giving everything I have to keep the team winning and hopefully I can win a lot of trophies here. I’m a striker that likes to get in behind and press defenders. I bring massive work-rate to the team and hopefully I can score goals and get the fans on their feet.”
Signing a five-year contract, the Republic of Ireland Under-19 internationalist will join a host of other young talents at Celtic Park. Interestingly it was has been revealed that unlike summer signings such as Bosun Lawal and Joey Dawson, who arrived from Watford and Scunthorpe respectively, Kenny will be thrown straight in with Ange Postecoglou’s senior squad, and he hopes to establish himself as a regular in the first team.
Regarding the influence Ange Postecoglou had in convincing him that Celtic was his best option to continuing progressing his career he said:
“The manager was massive. I was talking to him a few times before I came and it’s amazing the way he wants to play and what he thinks of me. The amount of young players he’s brought through here has been unreal and I hope I can play under him.
“I’ve signed a long-term deal so I want to come here, win trophies, score goals, get the fans on my side and win stuff here at Celtic Park and bring more success.”
It will be interesting to see how this signing works out. He was hugely well regarded in Ireland and after a blistering first season in the League of Ireland many have been predicting big things for him. Many people involved in the Irish underage footballing set up have been hugely impressed by the U-19 star and believe he has the talent to represent the senior squad in the future.
26th December 2021; McDiarmid Park, Perth, Scotland; Scottish Premier League football, St Johnstone versus Celtic; Celtic Manager Angelos Postecoglou is interviewed by Sky Sports before the match today
Many had predicted he would be spending the foreseeable future in Tommy McIntyre’s B team set up but if you listened to anyone with a knowledge of the League of Ireland they have been saying that he’s beyond that level already. After all that league is obviously at a much higher standard than the Scottish Lowland League, and he has been hugely impressive during his first season there and has the potential to become even better.
I think it will be important that he trains with the first team everyday. I honestly can’t see him making an impact in the side this year but training everyday with the type of players we currently have, at the intensity Ange Postecoglou expects, will truly test the Sligo man’s abilities.
The fact that the manager was so involved in this signing, talking on multiple occasions with the striker and letting him know that he personally rates him, is a huge plus for Kenny. I’ve recently been analysing the likes of Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide and something that stood out was that these signings were set up before Ange Postecoglou arrived at the club.
This isn’t the case with Kenny. Ange has been involved all the way so the player will be confident that he has the full backing of the manager. With Celtic only shelling out €150,000 to acquire the player, the club really is in a no lose situation. It’s good to see Celtic focusing on potential bargains from less glamorous leagues such as the league of Ireland. We won’t break the bank operating this way and there is potential that we may unearth future stars.
Without a doubt this won’t be the case everytime, but let’s hope Johnny Kenny will prove to be one of success stories.
Conall McGinty
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