There is expected to be a decent amount of activity at Celtic this winter, especially after their one-sided defeat at the hands of the Rangers in the first Glasgow Derby of the season. The Hoops lost 3-0 at Ibrox, a result that not many would have seen coming and it is quite clear that there is room for improvement at Parkhead.
Hopefully, a few fresh faces will arrive this winter. On the other hand, there are some familiar ones would could depart and start a new journey elsewhere.
Stephen Welsh looks almost certain to leave Celtic at this point. He is close to joining KV Mechelen of Belgium.
As reported by Anthony Joseph, Celtic have accepted KV Mechelen’s loan bid for Welsh. The six-month loan deal is expected to be completed this week.
Sky Sports man confirms Celtic have accepted January bid
Welsh has come through the ranks at Celtic and actually managed to get a decent bit of first-team football in the 2020/21 season. The following summer, the Hoops would go on to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt, and the academy graduate has never really been a starter since then.
Welsh is highly-regarded and has been linked with Serie A teams in the past. Back then, Celtic did not seem ready to part ways with him.
But now, it has become clear that he is not going to get a ton of game time at Parkhead. Welsh is firmly behind the likes of Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales and Auston Trusty in the pecking order. It feels like the right time to part ways.
The move to KV Mechelen is only set to be on a loan basis. But the expectation is that the centre-back will eventually leave Celtic on a permanent basis in the not too distant future.