Young Celtic central defender Eoghan O’Connell nearly went to Kilmarnock on loan. Instead, he made a move late this week to English League One side Walsall. Some questioned if the move would be the right one given it is the third tier of English football.
One match obviously is not the full story, but it should be noted that the early signs point to a smart mover for the 21-year-old. After just a few days with the club, O’Connell was in the Starting XI for the Saddlers.
He was part of a 3-5-2 look for the club, as they topped League One leaders Sheffield United 4-1 after a week away from league action for The FA Cup 3rd round last weekend.
Getting stuck in to the Starting XI this early on is a good sign for O’Connell. Most importantly, the game action is a welcome sight for the defender who was buried on the Bhoys bench behind the likes of Eric Sviatchenko, Jozo Simunovic, Kolo Toure and Dedryck Boyata.
It was a huge result for the Saddlers, who have now found the number of the league-leading Blades in all three matches so far this season.
Walsall came in 14th in the league table heading in to this weekend and come out of the match sitting in the same spot. The club will have two big tests coming up if they want to move up the table at all, as they will take on 9th-place Bristol Rovers next weekend and then visit relegation-battling Bury the following weekend.
O’Connell appeared to be in fine form in this match from reports of those in attendance. He appeared to start off slow, as should be expected given he hadn’t seen a pitch for a match since Barcelona in the Champions League back in September.
We’ll continue to keep an eye on O’Connell’s loan move and his progress, as this move is likely the last chance to impress Brendan Rodgers before the summer.
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Given O’Connell could be out of contract, a sharp performance the rest of the season could see him get another look from the Hoops or see him off to another club to pursue his footballing future.