Celtic player set for exit, agreement reached with EFL side

Fleetwood Town look to make their second signing from Celtic this window as they strengthen for the testing League One campaign ahead.

The Fishermen have already brought in five new players as they look to build on their 13th place finish from last season. Opting for League One experience, midfielders Ryan Broom and Danny Mayor provide serious quality in the midfield areas while Celtic left-back Adam Montgomery provides competition across the backline.

Ryan Grandon also comes in on the left-hand side of the midfield from Derry City with the standout recruits coming in to replace those who have already departed. The likes of Daniel Batty, Danny Andrew, Alex Cairns and Darnell Johnson all exited the club this summer in search of a new challenge while Fleetwood continue to bolster their options.

It has not been the dazzling start to the campaign they would have hoped for, however, drawing their opener game against Carlisle United before suffering three consecutive defeats – exiting the EFL Cup to Port Vale’s delight while losses to Cambridge United and Bolton Wanderers sees the Lancashire outfit sit just one place above the drop zone.

While still early days, Fleetwood will want to steer well clear of any danger with boss Scott Brown looking to utilise the loan market to strengthen his squad.

The Irish defender has come through the ranks at Irish top-flight outfit Bohemians before making the move to England, joining Watford’s academy setup in 2019, winning the Academy Player of the Season award for his efforts at the end of the 2020/21 season.

Garnering interest from numerous clubs, he opted to make the move to Celtic in 2021 where he joined up with the B team, where he once again impressed for the Hoops.

He was later rewarded with his senior debut in January of this year, coming off the bench as a substitute in a 5-0 win over Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup.

He has since gone on to represent his nation throughout the youth levels up to U-21 levels, scoring against a late equaliser against Ukraine in a 2-2 draw back in June.

Fleetwood Town are now set to agree a loan deal for his services while signing a new contract with Celtic before heading out, according to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, with the Bhoys keen to get the player more senior minutes before hopefully bringing him into the first-team picture.

While a promising talent at youth level, Fleetwood will need to be patient with Lawal as he gets to grips with more professional minutes under his belt.

His versatility will be key to the setup while it is likely he will be deployed as one of the three centre-backs in Brown’s system. Game time will not be a given, however, with stiff competition in the form of Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu, Aristote Nsiala, Josh Earl and Carl Johnston the main options used so far this campaign.

Nevertheless, being in and amongst a League One setup full of experienced professionals will only be a positive thing for his on and off the field development – Celtic meanwhile will hope to see him get plenty of minutes under his belt and assess whether he may be a option for their own defence going forward.

Celtic’s final decision on Ibrox ticket allocation; Rangers make next move

Celtic have made their final decision on the ticket allocation offered to them by Rangers for the first Glasgow Derby of the season at Ibrox.

According to a report in The Sun, Celtic have rejected the offer of 700 tickets for the corner of the Broomloan Stand and the Sandy Jardine stand for the 3rd of September fixture.

The report also says that Celtic are looking to withhold Rangers allocation for the Parkhead fixture in December with the Ibrox club said to have written to the SPFL to ask the governing body to intervene on the row as per the rules on ticket allocations.

The SPFL rule i27 states, “The home club must make provision for the admission of such reasonable number of visiting supporters at every home League Match and Play-Off Match as may be agreed in advance with the Visiting Club and, in the event of their being unable to agree such number not later than 14 days prior to the date of the League Match or Play-Off Match in question, the number of visiting supporters allowed shall be determined by the Board whose decision shall be final and binding.”

In short, Rangers want their tickets for Celtic Park and they are taking steps to get them.

67 Hail Hail told back in May how the Celtic’s ticket allocation for Ibrox was set to be confirmed at around the 700 mark.

Celtic refused the allocation for the final Glasgow Derby match of last season and they are perfectly correct in doing so once again for the fixture in September. In fact, Celtic want a return to the old allocation but, unfortunately, that is something that the Ibrox club cannot offer due to the club’s season ticket holders in the stand.

Although frustrating for the away fans that love attending this fixture, the safety of the supporters must be of paramount importance.

Rangers have made assurances that security will be tightened up to allow the Celtic fans a safe space to support their team but the Parkhead board, after raising safety fears, are clearly still not convinced that it’s safe to accept the allocation.

Let’s not forget why this all began in the first place. Brendan Rodgers Celtic side was imperious during his first tenure as the Celtic manager and watching the full Broomloan Stand celebrate four Ibrox wins a row was clearly too much for Rangers to stomach.

This story is not over yet and I am sure there will be more twists and turns it develops over the coming weeks.