Over the years, we have seen plenty of players fail to make the grade at Celtic. It is not easy to get chances at a club where the expectation is to win pretty much every game. So, the managers work under pressure and are rarely in a position where they can give consistent playing time to the club's academy graduates.
One such highly-rated youngster who could not find enough opportunities at Celtic, despite being an absolute standout at the youth levels, is Rocco Vata. He would go on to leave for Watford and has shown a lot of promise for the English club since joining them, playing consistent first-team football for the Hornets.
That has seen him being linked with a move to Premier League clubs like Fulham and Crystal Palace. And it has been claimed that Watford would want a transfer fee in the region of £20 million to part ways with the youngster.
As reported by Football Insider, according to FIFA rules, the club will receive a percentage of future fees for the transfer of players trained in the academy. But Pete O'Rourke said:
"There’s no chance he’s going to leave in January.
“He’s out injured until late January so I don’t see any club paying that type of money for Rocco Vata as he just returns from a long-term injury so nothing’s going to happen in January.
“But he’s a talented young player, and he was very highly thought of and highly rated at Celtic, so they were sad to see him go.
“Watford have big plans for him, they don’t want to lose him either, he’s under contract until 2028.
“If there is Premier League interest in him, Watford will look to get as much as they possibly can from him, but it’s not something that will happen in January."
Celtic handed bad news about Rocco Vata transfer windfall
Right now, it is hard not to feel that Vata is one who got away. It was always believed that he was someone capable of making the grade at the club, but he never received the proper chance to prove that at the senior level.
That has been the story of plenty of Celtic's best youngsters in recent times. And this is something that the club need to work on moving forward. Hopefully, things will change under the management of Wilfried Nancy.
On the other hand, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Vata. He looks primed for a future move to the Premier League. While it might not happen in this January window, it is clearly something that could happen sometime down the line with Celtic receiving their windfall.