There seems to be a last-minute Celtic transfer U-turn after terms had already been agreed over the move.
There are several aspects in which Celtic have struggled in recent times. The current focus is on improving the team immediately and getting them to a position where they can win some silverware this season under the management of Martin O’Neill. In the long run, there will be a lot more things that will need fixing.
One such thing has to be how the club has handled the development of youngsters. There have been plenty of quality talents in the academy, but they have not been provided with a pathway into the senior team, which has resulted in them leaving for other teams and succeeding there.
Two examples that come to mind immediately are Ben Doak and Rocco Vata. The former joined Liverpool, before making a £25 million move to Bournemouth recently. The latter has been a regular for Watford and is believed to be a £20 million player as well.
It had looked like Celtic were close to losing another one of their top talents to an English club. But things have taken an unexpected turn.
As reported by The Secret Scout in December, Liverpool had agreed terms with Dara Jakiemi. But now, according to This is Anfield, despite heavy speculation, there is no scope for a move at this point.
Celtic transfer U-turn after terms had already been agreed
So, it looks like either Celtic are not making things easy for Liverpool to get a deal done and they have passed on the chance for now. Or, the initial report had been off the mark.
Whichever is the case, there is no guarantee that Jakiemi won’t be leaving the club soon. In fact, it looks like he is keen on a move away.
The only way Celtic can change this situation is if they start providing real opportunities to their academy graduates to become first-team regulars. Otherwise, this will remain the case forever.