It has officially been confirmed that on-loan Celtic defender Stephen Welsh will return to the club after spending the season at Motherwell. His spell at Fir Park was hugely successful, but he will be eager to see if he can prove himself under the next Hoops manager.
Throughout the season, Welsh played a massive part under Jens Berthel Askou. He has earned praise for his consistent and strong performances and was arguably unlucky not to be included in Scotland's squad for the upcoming World Cup.
Well fans are desperate for him to stay at the club, but it seems that he will be returning to Paradise. Something could still change, but as things stand, he will be a Celtic player.
Berthel Askou was said to have been on his way to Parkhead, with the manager attracting the attention of the Scottish champions after turning Motherwell into a very competitive side. The Hoops may lose out to Ligue 1 side Toulouse though, with them currently in discussions with the Fir Park side over a move for the manager.
If Berthel Askou ends up moving to Celtic, he could finally give Welsh the chance he is desperate for. He heaped praise on the player, and said to the club: "Finally, we say goodbye to our loan player, Stephen Welsh, who has made an impressive impact on our team.
"His composure and intelligent defending have been vital for us, and he will be remembered for being a big part of this team.
"Thank you, Welshy, and good luck in the future."
Defence is a major point of discussion ahead of next season
Defence is a massive talking point ahead of next season. With Cameron Carter-Vickers set to return, he will most certainly take his starting spot back, but there are some fans who are incredibly unhappy with Liam Scales and Auston Trusty being our only real options to partner him.
There will be work done in the transfer market, but we need to look at who we have available as well. Some supporters are calling for Welsh to be given a chance, but there are also people who would rather see the back of him. Most feel that the quality of centre-back is severely lacking, but no approach has been made for anyone, with the club seemingly waiting until the next manager is confirmed before getting any new signings through the door.
Scott McKenna seems like the most likely option for a defender, but his club are demanding a large fee for his services. We'll need to wait and see what comes of that, but things are certainly getting interesting.
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