Assessing Celtic’s fringe players and where Ange Postecoglou must be ruthless

Some B-team stalwarts are not included as ‘fringe’ players whereas others are due to the perception that they’re first-team-ready… that just might not necessarily be for the Celtic first-team.

Imagine this, essentially, as a game of duck-duck-goose but without all that pesky physical exertion… we’ll call it keep-keep-sell (/release/loan).

Contract expires this summer

Karamoko Dembele, Kerr McInroy, Ross Doohan

Dembele impressed Postecoglou during last pre-season with the Greek-Australian saying at the time “I think the way we play will suit him. He has been in and around the first-team squad for a little while now. I think he wants to break through and be a first-team player so I see no reason why anybody needs to protect him from that.”

It hasn’t worked out like that though. An injury suffered in the friendly against Bristol City put the youngster on the sidelines and, by the time he returned, it was for B-team football. He garnered some minutes in wins over Dundee United and St Mirren however, whether through lack of a new contract agreement or performances in training, he hasn’t been seen since.

McInroy is a curious case. He has performed well in both his loan spells this season – to Airdrieonians and Ayr United – and as a former youth side captain clearly was rated highly within the club. However, an ill-timed serious injury hampered his progress in the senior side and, although Celtic hold the option of adding another year on to his deal, he himself told The Celtic Way that he realistically expects to be finding a first-team role elsewhere soon.

Ewan Henderson could have been in this section but is already en route to Hibernian while Ross Doohan played 34 times for Tranmere Rovers on loan – his sixth such spell away from the club – but lost his place as number one after a run of four defeats and a draw during February and March.

Verdict: Sell/release all three

Contract expires summer 2023

Christopher Jullien, Boli Bolingoli, Jonathan Afolabi, Luca Connell, Conor Hazard

Christopher Jullien is an intriguing one. Previously a mainstay in central defence, the year-plus spell out with a serious injury simultaneously made him underrated and overrated depending on who you asked.

Either way, the form of Carl Starfelt helped keep him sidelined for longer than expected and while his comments about wanting to get back on the pitch properly have been taken as a hint the exit door beckons it’s perhaps not wise to allow that without securing Cameron Carter-Vickers permanently first. Fraser Forster-Craig Gordon-Vasilis Barkas transfer love triangle anyone?

Boli Bolingoli’s outing against Livingston at Almondvale was not, as it turns out, a beacon of hope for a way back into the first team. He’ll be gone if a suitor can be found.

Both Jonathan Afolabi and Luca Connell possess genuine potential but after four loan spells for the former without truly forwarding his case for involvement it’s unlikely that will change now.

The latter has done about as well as he could at Queen’s Park in League Two and then League One, earning back-to-back promotions with the Spiders, yet in a way that senior football suitability could arguably count against him with Celtic rather than for him; leaving that level for what would amount to more B team game-time than first-team makes very little developmental sense. Scott Robertson – on loan at Crewe Alexandra this season – also falls into this category in terms of contract length and first-team development.

Conor Hazard got an unexpected chance in the first-team under Neil Lennon and, while nobody can say he was notably poor, neither did he really show enough to suggest he’s Celtic first XI class. He’s marked as sell/release here but is on loan at HJK Helsinki until the end of 2022, at which point he’ll have six months left on his deal and is free to negotiate elsewhere if he chooses anyway.

Verdict: Keep Jullien. Sell/release Bolingoli, Afolabi, Connell and Hazard

Those on longer deals

Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas, Ismaila Soro, Scott Bain (all 2024); James McCarthy, Adam Montgomery, James Forrest, Stephen Welsh, Mikey Johnston, Liam Scales, Liam Shaw, Osaze Urhoghide (all 2025); Yosuke Ideguchi (2026)

Virtually nobody reckons Vasilis Barkas is due another turn between the sticks while very few have much patience left for Albian Ajeti either given the rise of Giorgos Giakoumakis. Like Bolingoli, if suitors can be found they’ll be offski.

Mikey Johnston’s flashes of genuine brilliance continue to frustrate and entice in equal measure – as well as further entrench views of him one way or the other. His deal is long enough that a (perhaps long overdue) loan move could be the make-or-break moment he seems to need. That, you feel, will only come with the signing of Jota or another first-team winger given the Portuguese’s injury likely prevented it from happening in January.

Osaze Urhoghide has done well in Belgium with Oostende yet the Liga Pro side have reportedly said he will cost too much to take permanently. In that case, there is a potential decision to be made at Parkhead on whether to allow a cut-price departure with extra add-ons lest Urhoghide ‘do a Jack Hendry’.

Stephen Welsh may well get frustrated by lack of game-time compared to this season and last but it’s not very likely he’ll head for the exit either. Same goes for Adam Montgomery, though Liam Shaw might find it’s the B team life for him again unless another loan move crops up. Another Liam (Scales this time) hasn’t demonstrated much in the way of Celtic quality but his versatility will make it worth keeping him around as a red-alert squad option.

Part of the rationale behind Nir Bitton’s early departure may well have been the first-team progression of Yosuke Ideguchi, a player Postecoglou has referenced in several press conferences as one he expects to be more involved next term.

Not so James McCarthy, who struggles to give the impression he will suit playing for Postecoglou. If there is to be a role for the Ireland midfielder, it’s increasingly likely to be as a ‘closer’; a late-game sub to shore things up and give Callum McGregor a precious few minutes of extra rest. The trouble with that is Ismaila Soro could be deemed similar – it might be ruthless but you surely don’t keep both about in that case, do you?

Elsewhere, there is little to no chance that Celtic have handed Scott Bain and James Forrest new contracts with any intent to move them on, so they’re both staying and likely embracing a squad role to varying degrees.

Verdict: Keep Bain, Montgomery, Forrest, Welsh, Johnston, Scales, Ideguchi and one of McCarthy/Soro. Sell/release Ajeti, Barkas and one of McCarthy/Soro

• All contract expiry dates taken from TransferMarkt where possible