Liam Shaw has received praise from interim Sheffield Wednesday boss Neil Thompson, who said he is not concerned by the news that Shaw has agreed a pre-contract with Celtic. Thompson, who replaced Tony Pulis, told the media conference that Shaw is committed to improving the perilous position in which his side find themselves.
“He put the work in the other night [against Stoke]. That’s as far as it goes. Every player who is here is committed to what we’re doing and what we’re trying to do. We’ve had that, it’s about the group.“
Shaw can play central midfield as well as centre back and will arrive for a fee believed to be in the region of £300k for his development. Sheffield Wednesday were desperate to sign him on a new deal but the attraction to Celtic was clearly too much for the youngster. Glenn Loovens suggested that the player’s best position may be as a central defender, suggesting he will take a similar path as Kris Ajer, who arrived at Celtic as a midfielder and is comfortably the best defender at the club.
In recent seasons, Celtic have signed players like Jeremie Frimpong, Lee O’Connor, Jonathan Afolabi and Luca Connell using the cross border rule. Enticing players to a club of Celtic’s stature is one thing but bringing them through the ranks is another. Jeremie Frimpong is the only player that has really made a mark on the first team since arriving from one of the English academies; although it is an emerging market.
Shaw’s primary focus will be retaining Sheffield Wednesday’s Championship status as they sit in the bottom three.
