Celtic may face a battle to keep hold of Stephen Welsh this summer, with The Daily Record, via 67 Hail Hail reporting that Italian sides are now clear to place official bids for the defender.
How many games has Stephen Welsh played for Celtic?
The 23-year-old first came into the picture as an 18-year-old for the Hoops, although he didn't make his first league appearance for the side until 2019. He was initially shipped out to Greenock Morton on a loan deal, with his parent club not able to fit the teenager into their squad. It led to him amassing plenty of experience, featuring 15 times for the Scottish outfit in the Championship. Upon his return to the Hoops, he had made enough of an impression to be handed his Scottish Premiership debut.
Following that, he went on to play 16 times for the club in the 2020/21 SPL campaign and even bagged a goal along the way. However, his gametime has since tailed off, with nine league starts followed up with only four in the entirety of last season. Welsh has therefore had to make do with plenty of time on the sidelines then and has been mainly used as a rotational squad option by the Hoops.
That's despite the fact that, during the campaign in which he featured most, he won more tackles (13) than some other more senior and active players in the squad like David Turnbull and Shane Duffy.
Is Stephen Welsh leaving Celtic?
Now, according to The Daily Record, via 67 Hail Hail, the defender could be set for the exit door this summer. That's because interest is high in Welsh, mostly from Italian teams, and with an update to transfer rulings in the country it means that a deal is more likely to happen.
Udinese and Hellas Verona are two sides who have been mulling over bids and with the pathway now cleared for more UK signings to be made, they could finally launch official bids to land the 23-year-old – and, with Celtic braced for offers, they could opt to sell the player if they feel there is no room for him in the current squad.
That will come down to new boss Brendan Rodgers, who could very well decide he fancies playing Welsh more. If he does, then he will face a battle to fight off some of the expected bids from interested sides.
Whilst Welsh hasn't been a consistent first-teamer for Celtic, he has often come in for high praise due to his performances when he is on the field. Former Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou stated that the defender was "outstanding" and "fantastic" – even though he also, at the time, admitted he couldn't fit him into the team.
It would be a waste to have such a solid option then spend his days on the sidelines and it looks like he could be given a reprieve then this summer, should the Scottish side feel he isn't a part of their plans. With Italian teams seemingly queuing to sign him, he could have the chance to play more regularly, but time will tell what the new boss decides.