Confirmation of Yuki Kobayashi’s imminent arrival from Vissel Kobe is set to add further competition at the heart of Celtic’s defence.

The 22-year-old is unlikely to challenge for a place in the starting XI right away but the Japan under-21 international arrives at Parkhead with a decent pedigree having amassed 123 senior appearances already in his career.   

With Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt currently well established as manager Ange Postecoglou’s first-choice pairing, and on-loan Moritz Jenz getting opportunities to impress when he comes in the side, Kobayashi will likely be eased into life at Celtic in his first six months in Scotland. 

The Celtic manager’s fifth signing from the J1 League, Kobayashi's arrival leaves another centre-back, one already falling further down the pecking order, at a crossroads in their hoops career though.

Previously linked with a move away in the last two transfer windows, academy graduate Stephen Welsh will no doubt see his limited opportunities restricted even further with Kobayashi’s arrival.

Postecoglou had previously refused to entertain interest, from clubs such as Toulouse and Udinese, and the Scotland under-21 captain made 24 appearances in all competitions last season.

But despite starting, and scoring, in Celtic’s Scottish Premiership opener in August the young centre-back has found further chances to impress few and far between. He has made only three of the 15 league matchday squads since flag day.

He did play 90 minutes in the Champions League away in Leipzig and also started the League Cup win over Ross County.

However, at 22 himself, and having played over 2,000 minutes last season, a move for Welsh, where he would play more regularly, continuing his development, seems almost inevitable now.

A loan move in January for the rest of the season, and possibly even into next season too – he still has a contract until 2025 – could afford the defender the opportunity to do just that.

There are plenty of examples of young Scottish players at Celtic seemingly looking like their time at the club was coming to an end, only for a productive loan spell to reignite their careers in green and white.

Ryan Christie was loaned to Aberdeen but returned to become a first-team regular under Brendan Rodgers and then Neil Lennon.

Even current captain Callum McGregor temporarily left Parkhead to continue his development, turning out for Notts County in 2013-14 before returning to become a modern-day Celtic great.

Celtic Way:

Picking the right club will be key for Welsh if he is to have the kind of productive loan that may re-open the door to a career at Celtic.

With that in mind, we have picked out three clubs with a similar style of play to Celtic that may suit Welsh and thus offer the best chance of him returning an improved player; one ready to challenge for a first-team spot again.

Monza (Italian Serie A)

Serie A side Udinese were one of the clubs believed to be keen on securing the services of Welsh last January.

However, should Welsh follow in the footsteps of fellow Scots, such as Aaron Hickey, Josh Doig and Lewis Ferguson, in making a move, albeit temporarily, to Italy to continue his development then there is another interesting club that might be a good fit.

Promoted to Serie A just this season, Monza are making a big impact with their ball-dominant approach to life in Italy’s top flight.

Despite only making their debut in Serie A for the first time this season in their 109-year history, Monza adopt a relatively extreme ball-dominant approach.

And although manager Giovanni Stroppa, who guided the Lombardy club into Serie A, was dismissed early in the season after a poor start, Monza have stuck to a possession-based system under new boss Raffaele Palladino.

They have stabilised somewhat since Palladino’s arrival, sitting in 14th spot in the league, while continuing with their commitment to dominate the ball.

Celtic Way:

Their average ball possession (55.2 per cent) is the fourth highest in Serie A with the total number of passes attempted (447.16 per 90) only bettered by league leaders Napoli.

Similar to Celtic, their system is based on short, quick passing. They attempt one of the league's lowest numbers of long passes (37.81 per 90) while their passing rate (passes per minute of possession) is the fourth highest at 14.8.

Playing mostly with a back three would be an adjustment from the four-man defence deployed by Postecoglou at Celtic, but this possession dominant style, in a top-five league, could offer Welsh a fantastic opportunity to hone his passing skills at a high level.

He would still be tested defensively too as Monza, despite looking to dominate the ball, still give up plenty of opportunities to the opposition, conceding 21.74 xG against, above the league average.

Standard Liege (Belgian Pro League)

Another possibility could be a move to Belgium’s Pro League. Not as high a level as Serie A, but just as competitive, Belgium’s top tier was a route taken by former young Celtic centre-back Jack Hendry.

He enjoyed a successful stint at Oostende in 2020/21 and, although it was not enough to provide a route back to the first-team at Celtic, Hendry has gone to secure a permanent move to Club Brugge and is now in Serie A with Cremonese.

Thinking about his next career step should there turn out not be a future back at Celtic, will need to be a consideration for Welsh too when it comes to choosing a loan club.

Offering a stepping stone to some of Europe’s top leagues, Belgium could be an attractive proposition with one club that might be a particularly good fit – Standard Liege.

Managed by a familiar face in former Celtic manager Ronny Deila, they do not look to dominate the ball to quite the level that Monza do – Standard average 51.9 per cent of the ball – but it would still be a possession-based system that looks to play through the thirds.

This is emphasised by their league-low number of long passes (30.55 per 90) while playing a roughly similar shape to Celtic in Deila’s favoured 4-2-3-1 would not be much of a change for Welsh in that regard either.

Perhaps more of a challenge in terms of the expectations at Standard Liege, one of the country’s biggest clubs but without a league title in well over a decade, a move to join Deila’s project in Belgium might also appeal.

Vitoria Guimaraes (Portuguese Primeira Liga)

A final possibility could be to follow the path of a fellow Celtic academy graduate out on loan in Portugal.

Mikey Johnston is currently with Primeira Liga side Vitoria Guimaraes as he looks to kick-start his own Celtic career.

It is a move that seems to be working out so far for Johnston with the winger making nine appearances for Vitoria since his move on deadline day in the summer, seven in the league and two in the cup, while he has also grabbed three goals and provided two assists.

Ivorian midfielder Ismaila Soro is also currently on loan in Primeira Liga, with Arouca, so Celtic clearly see the league as a good destination to send players to get valuable game-time.

Vitoria might, therefore, also be a suitable destination for Welsh. They don’t tend to dominate the game to the extent of Monza (or even Deila’s Standard Liege) with an average of only 48.6 per cent ball possession in the league this season.

However, under the stewardship of young manager Moreno, Vitoria have by far the lowest number of long passes per 90 (30.23), indicating they also look to progress the ball through the opposition.

Welsh would also potentially be joining a seemingly solid defensive unit – Vitoria have the fourth-lowest xG against in the league (14).

In a highly technical and competitive league, Welsh would still be tested defensively by the league’s bigger clubs though with Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon, boasting some top attacking talents.

Conclusions

These three clubs in Europe could offer Welsh a suitable environment to develop his game further and return to Celtic ready to challenge for a first-team spot.

No matter what destination Welsh may temporarily land at, though, with his Celtic career seemingly in the balance and competition at the club so fierce there is no doubt he will certainly have to make the most of any potential loan move. 

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