Celtic manager Neil Lennon hails ‘very talented’ new duo

Celtic have brought Luca Connell from Bolton. Picture: Getty.

Centre-half Jullien sealed his £7million move from Toulouse on Friday and over the weekend he was joined by Liverpool-born teenager Luca Connell, who has arrived from  Bolton Wanderers.

Both players missed Saturday’s 2-1 friendly victory over SC Wiener in Austria but will join their new team-mates in Switzerland this morning as preparations continue for this month’s Champions League qualifying match against FK Sarajevo.

Connell, pictured, can play in defence or midfield and has represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level. The 18-year-old broke into Bolton’s first team in the second half of last season and Lennon liked what he saw.

“He’s a very talented young player,” said the Celtic boss. “He broke into the senior side with Bolton in the Championship.

“We’ve had a good look at him, have had good reports and he was away with the Irish senior squad training. The reports came back positive and we liked the look of him.”

Lennon said that he has been chasing Jullien’s signature for a while and expects the big Frenchman to be a success at Parkhead.

“I’m delighted to have him here now,” Lennon added. “He’s been a target for the club now for a quite a while. He has great attributes and has played at a very high level now for the last couple of years.

“When I met him you could see his enthusiasm and hunger there to come and play for Celtic. The fact that his wife’s British will help him come and settle into a different culture very quickly, but, as a player, he has all the attributes we’re looking for.”

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