Osaze Urhoghide a wanted man as Celtic bat away transfer offers

Celtic’s Osaze Urhoghide is wanted by a whole host of clubs in Scotland and England, but the Bhoys are reticent to let him leave on anything but a loan deal.

The 21-year-old joined the club over the summer as a free agent after deciding against extending his time at Sheffield Wednesday, and has had a bit of bad luck on the injury front as he looked to impress manager, Ange Postecoglou.

Urhoghide made his debut in green and white last year in a solid performance in the UEFA Europa League, but then picked up a knock in training that meant a spell on the sidelines for the young defender.

Now, with the ex-Owl set to return to full training next week, it’s understood that a number of clubs in the Scottish Premiership have expressed a desire to get him on board, as have a couple of teams in the English Championship.

Celtic defender Osaze Urhoghide is attracting interest in the January transfer window. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

It’s thought that Celtic have turned away any approaches to sign the full back – who can also play as a centre half – on a permanent basis, but are open to letting him leave on loan in January in order for him to get some regular game time under his belt after a difficult few months.

Meanwhile, Urhoghide’s former Wednesday teammate, Liam Shaw, has already sealed his loan move away, with the 20-year-old having joined SPFL outfit, Motherwell, for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.

Postecoglou has previously offered an insight into his current stance on Shaw and Urhoghide, in particular.

Asked about a lack of minutes for the pair by Celtic fan media, he said in November: “Osaze and Liam, difficult for them in the fact that sometimes when you bring in young players - they’re certainly players we brought in as development players - [it’s] much easier to bring those kinds in when the team is settled.

“They’re pushing themselves. I believe even though they haven’t played, they’ve improved as footballers.

“If you train every day with us, one thing I will say is you will improve.

“It’s about now getting them the right opportunity, that maybe here, that maybe a loan deal somewhere but we’ll make those decisions come January.

“We’ll sit down with the boys and see what the best way forward is.”

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today