Celtic are apparently looking to replenish their youth and development squad with domestic, Scottish talent from their SPFL counterparts. According to a report by Scottish Daily Express, the Hoops are hoping to plunder their rivals for some of the best emerging talents in the land, with Hearts’ James Wilson just one name mentioned.
The striker, 15, had already been linked to Ange Postecoglou’s men but it now seems as though they want to go full on belt-and-braces with the freshening up of the youth pool at Lennoxtown. Bosun Lawal and Rocco Vata are the current development team stars touted for making the big step up into the first-team.
However, in order to ensure there is not a drying up of academy graduates, the Bhoys are wanting to keep on top of proceedings with the development squad as well as concentrating on the main squad. The report states that Hearts, Aberdeen, Motherwell, and Hamilton could all be plundered for their gems in the process.
In full, it says:
“Celtic have joined theRangers in the fight for Hearts frontman James Wilson and are looking to make a number of raids on other rivals to further boost their academy and development ranks.
“The Hoops are also keen to hold talks with Aberdeen’s Lewis Pirie, Motherwell’s Jonjo Webb, Hamilton’s Joshua McDonald and Partick Thistle’s Hayden Borland. The champions, like theRangers, have also informed Hearts of their intention to speak to Wilson – who is the current Tynecastle academy player of the year.
“Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in the teenage frontman, although Hearts are fighting to keep him in the capital. Celtic sent out a number of letters to fellow clubs expressing an interest in a number of their rising stars last month.
“Striker Pirie is also being tracked by Everton, Wolves and Brighton, while he has already trained with Jim Goodwin’s Aberdeen first-team and they are keen to keep him at Pittodrie. Borland has recently been on trial at Liverpool and is also attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
“The new registration rules means that clubs can now send letters to other teams and if their player wishes to hold talks then they will be allowed to do that this month (Dec). The players can sign professional contracts with clubs when they are 16.”
Paul Gillespie
🍀 | Celtic FC – Recruitment Drive
Celtic are looking to hold talks with several top prospects in Scotland.
James Wilson (Hearts), Lewis Pirie (Aberdeen), Jonjo Webb (Motherwell), Josh McDonald (Hamilton) & Hayden Borland (Partick) are on the list.
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