Undroppable Transfer mistake Celtic might be regretting now

Celtic may already be questioning their decision to allow Stephen Welsh to leave the club after the defender’s impressive start to life at Swansea City.

Welsh departed Parkhead during the summer after reaching an agreement with Celtic to terminate the remainder of his contract, allowing him to join Swansea on a permanent basis.

At the time, the move made sense for all parties. The 26-year-old had struggled to establish himself as a regular at Celtic and had spent periods away from the club with Motherwell and Mechelen.

However, his performances in the Championship have quickly changed the conversation.

Welsh has become an important part of a Swansea side currently competing at the top end of the Championship, and former Swindon Town player Sam Parkin believes the centre-back has already established himself as a player who should not be dropped.

Speaking on the What The EFL podcast, Parkin praised Welsh’s ability in possession and his defensive contribution alongside Ben Cabango.

“He is really easy on the eye,” Parkin said, highlighting Welsh’s passing range, anticipation and technical quality.

He also pointed to Swansea’s defensive record, with the Welsh club having conceded only six goals during the early stages of the campaign.

Stephen Welsh’s impressive Swansea numbers

Welsh’s performances have been backed up by some encouraging statistics since his move to the Championship.

• Appearances: 8
• Clean sheets: 4
• Pass success: 88.2%
• Aerial duels won: 2.9 per game
• Clearances: 5.6 per game
• Times dribbled past: 0.1 per game

Parkin suggested Welsh was initially expected to provide additional depth at the back, but his performances have changed his status within the team.

“He was probably coming to be something of a squad player to bolster their ranks defensively and he has immediately become undroppable,” the pundit said.

There is also evidence that Welsh’s development has been influenced by his time at Motherwell.

Motherwell spell transformed Welsh’s career

Welsh has credited former Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou with helping him change his approach to the game.

The defender enjoyed two loan spells with the Scottish club and believes his time there played a major role in getting his career back on track.

Welsh explained that Askou changed both the way he played and how he viewed football, while describing his last 18 months as hugely important to his development.

The defender has now been rewarded with his first Scotland call-up, another indication of how quickly his fortunes have changed.

A move that once looked like a sensible opportunity for Welsh to find regular football has therefore become a potentially awkward situation for Celtic.

Celtic could miss Welsh more than expected

Celtic still have several options at centre-back, with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales among the senior choices available.

However, there have been questions over the consistency of some of those alternatives, while Dane Murray has yet to establish himself as a regular first-team option.

Trusty has endured some difficult moments recently, although he remains a dependable option when partnered with Carter-Vickers.

That makes Welsh’s emergence at Swansea particularly interesting from Celtic’s perspective.

The defender was unlikely to receive the regular first-team football he wanted had he remained at Parkhead, but his performances in England and his Scotland call-up suggest Celtic may have moved him on at a time when his career was beginning to accelerate.

There is no guarantee that Welsh would have reached the same level had he stayed in Glasgow, but his rapid development at Swansea means Celtic’s decision to let him leave on a free transfer is now looking increasingly significant.