There are few better managers for a young player to learn under than Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Blackburn Rovers star Connor Mahoney will know that.
Blackburn Rovers’ Connor Mahoney
Blackburn Rovers made clear on countless occasions last season that they were determined to keep 20-year-old winger Connor Mahoney at Ewood Park despite his contract ending this summer.
However, with Tony Mowbray unable to keep Rovers from dropping into League One last season, it’s fair to say their bargaining position has been weakened. And Mahoney will not be short of options if, as expected, he jumps ship this summer.
The Daily Mail claim that Championship duo Nottingham Forest and Wolves are keen, although they would have to pay a compensation fee due to fact that Mahoney is under the age of 24.
Former Rangers boss Mark Warburton wants Mahoney at Nottingham Forest
However, this is not something Celtic would have to worry about. Thanks to a loophole in compensation guidelines, clubs based in a different country can bring in out-of-contract youngsters from English clubs without needing to pay a huge fee at a tribunal.
That is how Celtic managed to nab Fulham starlet Moussa Dembele for just £500,000 last summer, the report adds. Speculation now suggests he could be worth up to 40 times more.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele netted 32 times last season
Dembele Mk2?
And Rodgers may be inspired by the success of this deal when attempting to bring tricky Blackburn winger Mahoney to Parkhead.
Furthermore, the remarkable success of the prolific Frenchman should encourage the former Accrington Stanley attacker that Celtic is the best place to progress a promising career.
After all, Rodgers is renowned for his ability to hone young talents and his willingness to give them a chance in the first-team. While the 19-year-old Dembele is now one of Europe’s most in-demand starlets, fresh-faced team-mates Patrick Roberts and Kieran Tierney have also taken their game to new levels under his guidance.
And that should be all the motivation Mahoney needs to pull on the green and white this summer.
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