LIAM SHAW has signed a 12-month contract with Wigan – the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder’s THIRD loan deal since joining Celtic in June 2021.
The 22-year-old playmaker spent last season at Morecambe following a six-month stint at Motherwell the previous term.
Shaw made 39 appearances for the English third-tier side in the last campaign, but has made only one start for the Hoops – the 3-2 Europa League win over Real Betis at Parkhead on December 9 2021.
GREEN FOR GO…Liam Shaw in a rare first-team appearance for Celtic.
The former Hillsborough prospect, told the BBC: “It’s a massive club and when I spoke to the manager, I really bought into his vision and I can’t wait to get started.”
Boss Shaun Maloney, the one-time Scotland international who had two spells at Celtic, added: “Liam can play many different positions – as a defensive and attacking midfielder – and he started off at centre-back at Sheffield Wednesday.
“He’s a really good player. Liam’s a great character and brings a different profile physically, so I’m glad he has joined us for the season and I hope he’s ready to fight for our cause.”
Shaw was one of 10 players identified by CQN as heading for the champions’ exit once Brendan Rodgers had completed his assessment of the squad he inherited from Ange Postecoglou.
The middle-of-the-park operator is the second on our list to leave as he follows Northern Ireland keeper Conor Hazard who joined Plymouth Argyle last month.
SITTING IT OUT…Albian Ajeti reflects on another miss.
Albian Ajeti, the £5million misfit from West Ham who has scored only nine goals for the club since arriving in the summer of 2020, and one-time Republic of Ireland international anchorman James McCarthy are also lined up for a Hoops departure.
Neither was included in Rodgers’ squad for the pre-season tour of Japan and it’s clear they have no future at the treble winners.
Stephen Welsh played in the 1-0 win over Gamba Osaka yesterday, but he, too, is on the brink of a shift. The ex-Scotland Under-21 international centre-back and skipper was recently linked with Serie A clubs Hellas Verona and Bologna.
The 23-year-old defender kicked off last season in the top side and scored the champions’ first goal of the Premiership campaign against Aberdeen inside three minutes of the 2-0 opening-day win at Parkhead on July 31.
However, Welsh, who is under contract until June 2025, made only five more first-team starts following 24 appearances the previous term.
Rodgers will still be pondering over Liam Scales who played in both of the matches in the Far East. He was a success at Aberdeen during his season-long loan at Pittodrie last season and ex-Celt Barry Robson, who replaced the axed Jim Goodwin during the club’s impressive run-in to the campaign, would welcome back the versatile Irishman.
NOW YOU SEE ME…Ismaila Soro fools around before training.
Ismaila Soro, who has just returned from a year-long switch to Portuguese side FC Arouca and who also missed the trip to Japan, will be on his way. A move to Panathanaikos was mooted last month before snags stalled the shift.
There is clearly no future at Celtic for the Ivorian midfielder, a £2million buy from Israeli club Bnei Yehuda in January 2020, who still has 12 months of his deal to run.
Osaze Urhoghide, who has returned after a season at KV Oostende, signed for the Hoops at the same time as Shaw from the Yorkshire club, also made his first start against Real Betis and that remains his last appearance for the club.
Young Irish striker Johnny Henry, who signed from Sligo Rovers in January 2020, spent the first half of last season on loan at Queen’s Park and the second part at Shamrock Rovers, will also benefit from opportunities elsewhere. His current deal runs until November.
Twenty-four-year-old Mikey Johnston, who was at Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes last season, has seen his Celtic future put on hold with a back injury which is likely to rule him out for three months.
The winger, who has two years left to run on his contract, will face a make-or-break period before the January transfer window.
EYES ON THE BALL…Mikey Johnston duels with Dundee United’s Ilmari Niskanen during Celtic’s 3-0 win at Tannadice on December 5 2021.
A year ago, CQN named 10 players facing the axe as Postecoglou trimmed his squad – we called every single exit right. Our list was compiled of Boli Bolingoli, Christopher Jullien, Ross Doohan, Scott Robertson, Ajeti, Soro, Urhoghide, Shaw, Kenny and Johnston.
At that time, Scales, Adam Montgomery and Vasilis Barkas, whose contract has now been scrapped after a year at Utrecht, had already agreed loan moves while one-time wonder Bhoy Karamoko Dembele had joined French side Stade Brest on a four-year deal.
The 10 names on our dossier were all moved on.
Left-back Montgomery, who spent last season at St Johnstone, also agreed a 12-month temporary tarnsfer to Scott Brown’s Fleetwood Town before CQN compiled the latest exit file.
Watch this space for developments of the players on our latest list.
The transfer window is scheduled to close at midnight on August 31.
CELTIC CLEAR-OUT: TEN FOR THE ROAD
