Celtic might be sitting nine points ahead of the Rangers in the Scottish Premiership table but they continue to add to their ranks. The Hoops have already brought in players Alistair Johnston and Yuki Kobayashi, weeks before the transfer window has even opened and continue to be linked with further additions in January, with the latest rumours linking them with Yokohama F. Marinos defensive midfielder, Tomoki Iwata.
Amidst all this, there are some players at the club who have slipped down the pecking order though, with one of them being Stephen Welsh.
One could make the argument that Welsh was already the fourth choice centre-back at the club, behind the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Carl Starfelt and Moritz Jenz, who is on loan from Lorient. And with the signing of Kobayashi, the Celtic academy graduate’s game time might potentially be reduced further.
As a result, Welsh has been advised to get a move away from Celtic Park, whether on loan or on a permanent basis. As reported by Football Insider, Tam McManus said:
"“He’s 22 now, he cannot be sat on the bench or in the stands every week.“He has to go and play games for somebody. Celtic have depth at centre-back and now they have just signed Kobayashi as well.“Welsh is well down the pecking order at Celtic now and he just has to leave. Whether he goes to Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen or somewhere down south, he has to get away.“Whether it is a loan deal or a permanent doesn’t matter right now. We’ll have to see what kind of offers come in but he is helping no one if he isn’t playing.“I would be surprised if Welsh is still at Celtic when the window closes.”"
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There is no doubt that Welsh has a lot of good qualities and on his day, he is a very good player. But at the moment, the Scottish defender just does not seem to have the consistency to be a regular starter for Celtic.
As a result, sending him out on loan might be a pretty good idea. Going somewhere where he will get to play every week could do Welsh a world of good and help him take his game to the next level. Staying at Celtic and sitting on the bench most games is not going to help him.
There is not expected to be any lack of interest in the youngster either, with him being linked with several clubs in the recent past.