With the number five shirt on his back, the then-Celtic youngster produced a pair of pinpoint, edge of the box finishes that even Jude Bellingham himself would have been proud of.
He had never scored a single senior goal before leaving the Scottish Premiership champions on loan last summer.
By the time he headed back above the border nearly 12 months later, however, Bosun Lawal had made a name for himself as a pretty decent source of goals from the centre of the park.
Lawal netted an impressive six for a dismal Fleetwood Town side. One of the very few to emerge from the wreckage of relegation with his reputation enhanced.
To think, the Dublin-born starlet had made most of his appearances for Celtic B team as a centre-half. And here he was breaking into the box and finishing in style south of Hadrian’s Wall, showcasing an all-new side of his game while ensuring that interest would not be in short supply following his return to Glasgow.
“Bosun Lawal for Fleetwood, basically playing like Jude Bellingham!” EFL expert Ali Maxwell told the Not the Top 20 podcast, albeit a rather tongue-in-cheek comparison brought about by their shared shirt number.
“This is a guy who is wearing the number five, signed – as we understood it – as a defender from Celtic. (Lawal) is now playing centre-mid and is playing absolutely brilliantly in all aspects of the game.”
Celtic sell Bosun Lawal to Stoke City
Lawal sealed a £2 million return to England on Monday, per Football Scotland.
He joins Stoke City, and will now play Championship football for a club hoping to finally wake from their slumber and challenge at the top end of the table.
And by the admission of Jonathan Walters – Stoke City’s sporting director – Lawal is a player his fellow Irishman has admired from afar long before he put pen to paper with The Potters.
“Bosun is a player who I’ve followed closely for a number of years,” Walters tells the club’s official website, claiming that Stoke fought off no shortage of rival suitors. “After competing with several top clubs, we are proud to have secured his signature.
“Our ambitions are perfectly aligned, and we believe he possesses all the attributes to reach the very top of the game. He is not only a fantastic addition to our squad but also a key part of our long term vision for the club.
“We’re confident that his talent and drive will make a significant impact as we look to achieve our goals together.”
Capped 12 times by the Republic of Ireland at Under 21 level, Lawal had no real choice but to move on from Celtic in order to secure the first-team football he craves.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers pulled no punches back in July. Lawal and fellow youngster Odin Thiago Holm, he said, had plenty of ‘talent’ but not quite enough to really make the break at Parkhead, via the Daily Record.
A fresh start back in England for Hoops misfit
Stoke, in contrast, showed no shortage of belief in Lawal when they entered talks with the one-time Watford prospect.
“The club is massive. It didn’t need selling to me,” explains Lawal, who spoke to Stoke legends and former coaches Glenn Whelan and Charlie Adam before making his final decision. “What they said about Stoke City really excites me for my journey here.
“The gaffer (Steven Schumacher) and Jon are full of ambition and that really attracted me. They want to take the club back to the highest level.
“I witnessed the electric atmosphere in the stadium first-hand on Saturday, which was so enjoyable to watch.
“I can’t wait to be out there experiencing that myself in the not-too-distant future and to enjoy long term success here at Stoke City.”
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