Hajduk Split are reportedly keeping a close eye on Celtic youngster Stephen Welsh, with the Croatian side seemingly weighing up a move to sign the 22-year-old defender.
According to the Scotsman, the Hoops academy graduate is on Hajduk’s radar as the HNL giants look to add to their defensive ranks this January, with Welsh a player who is now being considered based on his lack of playing time this season.
As per the report, the centre-back has found minutes hard to find this season, a problem Ange Postecoglou has made worse this January with the recent signing of Japanese defender Yuki Kobayashi, meaning that Hajduk could be an option for Welsh this month.
Labelled as ‘superb’ by Hoops left-back Greg Taylor, Welsh is a talent a lot of Celtic supporters had high hopes for this season. However, the defender’s last appearance for the club came in a 2-1 win against St. Johnstone at the start of April, almost 100 days ago at the time of writing.
Indeed, at 22-years-old, Welsh is at a stage of his career where he should be playing regular football at a top level. And with Hajduk now monitoring the defender’s situation, there could be a strong chance that the Coatbridge-born youngster will make the move to Croatia this month.
With a number of British talents making the unorthodox move to the HNL in recent years, though, Croatia could be a good next step for Welsh, especially given how big a club Hajduk are in the country, with the Split-based side regulars in UEFA competitions. as well.
Welsh should take the plunge and sign for Hajduk
Welsh had all the makings of being a top player for Celtic. However, football is a funny game with a weird way of working, and for the Scottish youngster, a new path to the top must be made, which is why a move to Croatia with Hajduk would be a risk worth taking.
After all, the Croatian side play at a top level as well as compete regularly in Europe. And for Welsh, a year of regular football and development with Hajduk could be what’s needed to unlock the defender’s potential and to catch Celtic’s attention that the youngster is a player who can play for the Hoops week-in week-out.
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