There is a sense of excitement among Celtic fans with the arrival of Timothy Weah from Paris Saint-Germain, possibly it’s because of who his Dad was or maybe the club where has come from, either way it seems that Celtic fans can’t wait to see Weah take to the pitch with songs and chants already being created in his honour.
Nominated for the 2018 Golden Boy award, which is awarded to the best player under the age of 21 in the world, Weah made it into the top 40 alongside new Celtic team-mate Odsonne Edouard and while Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt was crowned the eventual winner – the 18-year-old was regarded highly among the likes of Justin Kluivert , Christian Pulisic and PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe.
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He has also been listed in the Top 100 Youngsters to watch in 2019, by the guys over at
and watched he will be. Not only by his parent club PSG but also the world of US Soccer with the hierarchy in the States pinning a lot of their hopes on the next generation of
talented but yet unproven youngsters
coming through the ranks – after their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia.
And with his development at PSG stunted by the likes of Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani ahead of him in the team, the chances of Weah actually making the breakthrough at Les Parisiens is nigh on impossible as Odsonne Edouard found – so he has taken the decision to go out on loan secure much-needed game time and first team experience – a decision that will surely pay off for both the player and Celtic.
Following his loan signing on Monday, we spoke to PSG Talk’s Eduardo Razo to get the lowdown on the Celtic’s latest attacking threat.
What is Weah’s preferred role and is he capable of playing other positions?
ER: Weah doesn’t necessarily have a preferred role, but for the most part, he seems comfortable as a striker. Like any young player, he’s willing to play anywhere on the pitch since he’s mostly appeared as a substitute coming for Edinson Cavani and Neymar, so Weah can play as a striker or one of the wing positions.
What is his style of play and how is he while he is in possession of the ball and when he is not?
ER: It’s hard to get a read on a player who’s only appeared in five Ligue 1 matches and only two coming as a starter. Nonetheless, Weah is a striker with a winger’s game. Meaning that he possesses a pass-first mentality and will always look to create and look for the key pass which is evident to the 1.7 key passes per 90 he averaged in 54 total minutes this season.
When Weah’s in possession of the ball, he’ll rely on his speed to win his duels, and for the most part, he has a good poker face which means that a defender cannot get a read on what he’s planning to do with it.
He has some mighty big boots to fill given who his Dad is, how has he handled living under the shadow of George Weah?
ER: Honestly, it rarely gets brought up so I’d say he’s doing well carving out his career and not only having the label of George Weah’s son.
Also, the coverage on beIN Sports mostly focuses on him being part of the future of US Soccer, so if anything the pressure will come from them who would like to see Weah develop and live up to his potential as he’s an essential part of the country’s youth movement.
What are his strengths and weaknesses?
ER: His passing game, as I mentioned although he’s technically a striker, he has a pass-first mentality and will always look to create which leads me to his weakness. Weah can sometimes pass up on a shot and seek to create a scoring chance for a teammate.
Last season, he averaged only 1.5 total shots per 90, but this season his shot total went up to 3.3, so it seems as though he understands that being selfish sometimes is okay.
Weah has already played six times for the PSG first team – how did he fair?
ER: Weah appeared towards the end of last season once the league was wrapped up. Former coach Unai Emery would bring him in mainly as a substitute, so it was hard to get a read on if he was ready for first team minutes in his limited time. However, when Tuchel arrived, I thought he’d see more playing time, but it wasn’t the case.
PSG must rate him highly if they have extended his contract? Is he developing as a player as expected
ER: It’s a slow development not every 19-year-old can crack a team like PSG’s. Weah hasn’t appeared for the first team since August, and Moussa Diaby is the young player who seems to have risen to the occasion and is getting his share of minutes when it comes to the forwards which isn’t an easy thing to do. Diaby is going to give Weah competition regarding young academy players that are looking to gain Thomas Tuchel’s trust and play on the first team consistently.
Are you surprised that he has made the loan move to Celtic?
ER:I was expecting Weah to go out on loan there were rumblings, so it didn’t come as a surprise. He was rumoured to head to Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace and stay in Ligue 1 which is what I thought that the club would’ve wanted. Keeping Weah in France allows for PSG to closely monitor his development rather than sending him abroad, so the move to Celtic did come as a surprise when I found out.
What will Weah bring to Celtic? Is he capable of playing in the lone striker’s role or is he much more suited to playing alongside or off the main striker?
ER: I don’t see him as a striker, but if he is put into that role, I think with him being a pass-first player it’s best for him to play alongside some who’s more of a finisher at this time.
Do you expect Weah to become a regular at PSG in the years to come and what do you expect from his time on loan at Celtic?
ER: It all depends what PSG will do post-Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappé is the future striker in waiting until the Uruguayan leaves. If PSG were to buy another winger, then for me it will serve as a sign that they might not see him as a regular. Next season could be a make or break for him because Thomas Tuchel does give young players the opportunity that other managers at big clubs wouldn’t.