NafisaStephen Welsh’s Celtic career now appears to be nearing its conclusion as the club accelerate plans to bring Scotland international Scott McKenna to Parkhead this summer.
Despite a strong campaign away from Celtic and signs that he had rebuilt momentum under Jens Berthel Askou at Motherwell, the feeling emerging around the situation is that the club have already made their minds up regarding the defender’s long-term future.
Welsh is due back at Celtic once the season finishes after spending two separate loan spells at Fir Park across the campaign.
The 26-year-old impressed during his time at Motherwell and was even recalled temporarily in January during Celtic’s centre back injury problems, making two appearances before returning out on loan again.
There had been some belief that the academy graduate may yet force his way back into the squad conversation for next season, especially given his consistency under Askou and his experience within Scottish football.
But Celtic’s transfer plans ahead of the summer are beginning to paint a very different picture.
The Hoops are now moving aggressively in their pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb defender Scott McKenna, with reports from Croatia suggesting the interest is already at an advanced stage.
Celtic pushing hard for McKenna move:
Celtic have been linked with McKenna for a lengthy period, but their interest appears to have intensified significantly following his performances in Croatia this season.
The Scotland international recently helped Dinamo Zagreb secure another HNL title, and according to Sportske Novoski, Celtic scouts have monitored him four separate times in recent months.
The report states that Celtic’s interest is now “very serious” and suggests a formal bid could arrive sooner rather than later as the club look to strengthen defensively before next season begins.
McKenna is believed to want clarity over his future before Scotland’s World Cup preparations begin, something that could speed negotiations up during the early stages of the summer window.
If the move goes through, it would almost certainly bring Welsh’s time at Celtic to an end.
With only one year left on his contract, this summer represents the final realistic opportunity for Celtic to secure a fee for the defender rather than risk losing him for nothing further down the line.
There is also growing competition in Celtic’s defensive department.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales are all expected to remain key parts of the squad next season, while Dane Murray continues to be viewed internally as a highly rated option for the future.
Adding McKenna into that group would leave Welsh pushed even further down the pecking order.
The reality is that while Welsh has shown quality in flashes during his Celtic career, he has never fully cemented himself as a guaranteed starter at the club. At 26 years old, both player and club may now feel the time is right for a permanent move and a fresh start elsewhere.
What has Welsh said about his future?
Interestingly, Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou has also emerged as a name linked with the Celtic managerial vacancy this summer, although reports continue to suggest the club’s preferred option remains former Tottenham manager Thomas Frank.
An Askou appointment may have slightly improved Welsh’s hopes of another opportunity at Celtic given their strong working relationship this season, but the defender himself has remained calm whenever questioned about what comes next.
Speaking last month about his future beyond the current campaign, Welsh said:
“No, not necessarily, hopefully everything will fall into place in the summer.
“But just now, all I’m thinking about is playing as many games as I can, playing as well as I can and showing what I can do.
“As I said, being in such a good team and having such good players around you, with good staff and a great manager, it can only be positive.”
Nafisa
