Adam Montgomery is a player highly rated at Celtic, as evidenced with a contract that extends to 2025, and is one the club are keen to have a clear pathway plan to the first team, as we’ve seen with 18 appearances for the team so far and opportunities given at both a domestic level and in European football.
Despite this, there is an argument to say some time spent away from the club on loan may be beneficial to the player. And Daily Record are reporting there may be that opportunity for Adam Montgomery in this transfer window.
‘Celtic are set to send rising defensive star Adam Montgomery on-loan for the second half of the season.Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou has high hopes for the 19-year-old and that was part of the reason he pitched him into his first-team fold at the start of the season.
Celtic also handed him a new contract until 2025 last year. Montgomery has already played in the Champions League qualifiers and in the Europa League.
Postecoglou has added to his squad in this window he wants Montgomery to go out and get a regular run of first-team games. Postecoglou feels that is the next part of his development before he was to return to Parkhead and push for the Celtic first-team again in the summer.’
This one has to be a tough call for the Celtic manager. On one hand Adam Montgomery has shown a great deal of promise and it is clear there is the potential of an excellent left back emerging. Yet ahead of the youngster, Greg Taylor has now nailed down the left back berth as first choice.
Beyond Taylor however then that supporting place is very much up for grabs. Liam Scales has looked a decent acquisition but still has some way to go, and tactical allowances have been made for the player that are not given to the established Taylor, so he clearly remains a work in progress when it comes to fully integrating himself into the Postecoglou process and playing philosophy.
As such Adam Montgomery may feel he could push for further appearances at Celtic over the course of the season, but it’s certainly not a given. And given Scales has looked positionally more assured than Montgomery, given his greater age and experience, then perhaps Montgomery may be better placed going out on loan, playing every week and learning from mistakes away from the incessant attention he’d receive at Celtic.
For Celtic this is perhaps a decision to be made later in the transfer window and Boli Bolingoli could be the reason why. Appearing as Boli does, persona non grata at Celtic, you’d assume any reasonable offer, be it on loan or on a permanent deal, then Bolingoli would surely be encouraged to carefully consider such an option.
Should that happen then there may be an argument made for keeping Adam Montgomery within the squad, particularly with Liam scales a work in progress and Greg Taylor just returning from injury. Should Bolingoli remain however, then as we’ve seen on rare occasions this season, he can be called upon and is good enough to supply sufficient cover.
There is a great deal of merit in Adam Montgomery gaining experience by playing regularly for the rest of the season and as such the prospect of a loan deal makes sense, but it may well be the immediate future of Boli Bolingoli plays a big part in any decision made, as such it could be one to leave to late in the day.
Niall J
