All things considered, Celtic have enjoyed a successful transfer window till now, bringing in Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Johnny Kenny already. On the other hand, Liam Shaw has joined Motherwell on loan, which could be a great move for his development. And Ewan Henderson has joined Hibernian on loan, although that is expected to be made permanent in the summer. The Hoops have been active to say the least.
Of course, the latest rumours about the Riley McGree move falling through when it had initially looked like it was only a matter of time before he joined Celtic, will be a blow for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
But then, McGree was not expected to come in and immediately become a first-team starter. Let’s see if the Hoops end up making a move for a different midfielder this month instead.
Amidst all this, the club have been handed a transfer boost. Udinese are a club who have been interested in Stephen Welsh and are believed to have even made a transfer bid for him. But now, it looks like the Italian club are looking towards Arsenal’s Pablo Mari. Fabrizio Romano tweeted out:
Arsenal are prepared to let both Sead Kolasinac and Pablo Marí leave this month. Udinese are working to sign Marí on straight loan, negotiations ongoing. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 12, 2022
Olympique Marseille have approached Kolasinac - talks on to sign him right after Bakambu [done deal]. #OM #TeamOM
Celtic have been handed Welsh transfer blow
If Udinese are able to sign Mari on loan from Arsenal, it feels unlikely that the club would make another move for Welsh.
The Celtic defender is an important part of this team although he might not be a regular starter. And considering that he is just 21 years of age, he might very well get to that position in the near future as well, as there is a lot of time on his hands to develop and improve.
Thus, keeping Welsh is the best step forward for Celtic at this point of time unless an incredible transfer offer arrives for the Scotland youth international.