When Fabrizio Romano tweets fans tend to take notice.
On the back of Rocco Vata leaving Celtic for Watford it seems like a similar scenario is playing out with Daniel Kelly.
The teenager came off the bench eight times in the second half of last season but has still to agree terms on a new contract.
Having been with the club since the age of eight the players commitment can’t be doubted, when Ben Doak, Liam Morrison and others left as soon as they could sign a professional contract Kelly opted to stay with Celtic.
???? 2005 born talent Daniel Kelly could leave Celtic as free agent in January.
There’s still no agreement after Celtic proposal to the player, could be one to watch as many European top clubs follow him including Bayer Leverkusen.
Celtic have rejected all approaches so far. pic.twitter.com/DoB2Pyw4zm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 10, 2024
Strangely Kelly signed a contract that runs out in December which means that he is currently free to sign a pre-contract deal elsewhere.
While the money on offer at Bayer Leverkusen and elsewhere will be an attraction the German champions have a system in place to develop players through the ranks as well as accelerate established players like Jeremie Frimpong.
Should Kelly leave it puts into question the purpose of the Celtic Academy as the B team prepares for a fourth season in the Lowland League.
As a winger Vata watched the club sign Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-Jun, Luis Palma and Nicholas Kuhn to compete in his position, likewise as a central midfielder Kelly saw Tomoki Iwata, Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Odin Thiago Holm and Paulo Bernardo signed during 2023.
Kelly wasn’t among the 23 players used in Friday’s friendly away to Ayr United.
Kelly isn’t as good as Bernardo or Iwata but wants to hold the club to ransom, done NOTHING in the game yet wants money that doesn’t make sense for his present ability. If he wants to put cash before long term career just phone him a taxi the now and save us all the boredom of the nonsense Vata put us through.
On the way out tell them to find out how the super stars that went to Munich and else where are doing.
Editor: Is the conclusion to that to close down the Academy? Are any of Aaron Hickey’s former Celtic team-mates still playing full time football, in the summer of 2018 he opted for Hearts to advance his career.
Again another one too big for his boots,18yrs of age and listening to his agent. Let him go good riddance what happened to loyalty and learning your trade, so angry about this
Editor: Don’t you think that there might be a serious problem with the Academy, St Ninian’s and the Lowland League? No first team players produced since KT in 2015 tells a story that is much deeper than one player. What is Kelly meant to think when Kwon and Holm are signed last summer, is it only foreign wonderkids that we are interested in?
Joe…I take your point about Kelly and Vata wondering what’s going on with new signings…BUT…Has either done or shown enough to justify anything else…??…I”ve seen enough of both to say I’m not overly impressed…and both have a ” strange” attitude to their situations…If anyone wants to go…then let them…But I do agree that the conveyor belt seems to have broken down…Time for a re-think…??
Editor: Should we then just close down the Academy? Not one player has started a match in the Lowland League and gone on to start a competitive first team match? What progress has Aaron Hickey’s former Celtic team-mates made since he left for Hearts six years ago?
I think the Lowland League is an opportunity for young players to prove they have what it takes to progress…Maybe we don’t get it right all the time…but surely much more times than not.??
Editor: Not one player has come through from the Lowland League to start a first team match. It is useful if you are 16 or 17 but for six months only. We need to find a far higher level to test players, the evidence is there.
The system to develop our young players is broken , lay that squarely at the feet of the SFA . They are not fit for purpose.