Sports
Celtic join race to sign colossal defender who’d end Welsh’s Parkhead stay
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill made a host of changes to his starting line-up for the SFA Cup clash with semi-professional outfit Auchinleck Talbot on Sunday evening.
The likes of Paulo Bernardo, Stephen Welsh, Dane Murray, James Forrest, and Anthony Ralston were brought into the team, as the Hoops secured a 2-0 win.
Celtic were only able to score two goals past the West of Scotland League Premier Division outfit, with Johnny Kenny opening the scoring before Sebastian Tounekti sealed the win with a stunning goal late on.
Welsh’s appearance at the back now means that he either has to stay at Parkhead or return to Motherwell, due to playing for two teams this season after being recalled from his loan spell earlier this month.
The Scottish defender’s return to Glasgow may well be short-lived, though, if the Hoops are able to bring in another centre-back before the end of the window.
Celtic join the race to sign new defender
In fact, the Scottish Premiership giants are reportedly looking at a star whose arrival at Parkhead could spell the end of Welsh’s time with the club.
According to Rudy Galetti’s Substack, Celtic are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign WSG Tirol central defender Jamie Lawrence, who has emerged as a brand-new target for the club.
The report claims that the Hoops have added the 23-year-old star to their list of transfer targets for the January transfer window, as they look to bolster their options at the back.
It adds, though, that teams in Spain, Turkey, Russia, and China have already made offers to sign the colossal 6 foot 7 centre-back, who has also been the subject of enquiries from teams in the English Championship.
Galetti’s report reveals that his contract is due to expire at the end of the season, which is why Tirol are open to selling him this month, and that means that he could be available for a cut-price fee now, or on a free transfer in the summer.
Why Celtic should sign Jamie Lawrence
When Celtic decided to recall Welsh from his loan at Motherwell, O’Neill said: “He’s having a really great time at Motherwell and I understand, from a playing viewpoint, that having got himself up and running and doing great, he probably didn’t want that disturbed.
“But there was a cut-off point where we could take him back and then send him back to Motherwell if that was the case. That might happen.”
These comments suggest that there is still a chance that Welsh will return to Motherwell before the end of the window, which is what the club should be aiming to do.
The 26-year-old defender lost 57% of his aerial duels in the Premiership for Celtic last season, albeit in one appearance, and lost 62% of his ground duels in ten games in the 2023/24 campaign, per Sofascore, which led to the decision to send him out on loan in the first place.
O’Neill should, therefore, push for the club to get a deal over the line to sign Lawrence in the coming days, because the German star’s arrival at Parkhead would allow the Hoops to ruthlessly part ways with Welsh already.
Celtic would then have Lawrence, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales, and Dane Murray to cover the two centre-back positions, before Cameron Carter-Vickers returns from injury next season, which would leave no need for the former Motherwell loanee to remain in the squad.
|
25/26 |
Welsh (Premiership) |
Lawrence (Bundesliga) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
15 |
17 |
|
Tackles per game |
0.7 |
1.8 |
|
Interceptions per game |
1.3 |
2.0 |
|
Clearances per game |
6.4 |
8.7 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.6 |
6.4 |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
52% |
72% |
As you can see in the table above, the Tirol centre-back’s performances in the Austrian Bundesliga so far this season suggest that he would arrive as a much better option than Welsh, offering more defensive quality, particularly aerially.
Lawrence, who also won 65% of his duels across 33 games in the Bundesliga in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, is a dominant defender who can win duels at an impressive rate, whilst also making plenty of defensive interventions to help his team out each game.
He would be a much better option than Welsh, because he is better at dealing with opposition attackers aerially and in general play, and is three years younger, which means that the German ace has more potential and time ahead of him to improve and develop.
Therefore, signing Lawrence could spell the end of Welsh’s career at Parkhead because it would put another player between him and being a first-team regular for the Hoops, and he is already at the bottom of the pile, having initially been sent out on loan.
Better signing than Kovacevic: Celtic could land Kenny upgrade for £6.5m
Celtic could make an even better signing than Franko Kovacevic by swooping for this reported target.
That is why the Hoops must sign the Tirol star and then approach Motherwell to see if they would be interested in signing the Scottish dud on a permanent deal, or on another loan with a view to selling him in the summer.
