Another Celtic youngster poached from academy as Aidan Borland set for Villa move
It has emerged that Aston Villa are in line to acquire the signature of Celtic youth prospect Aidan Borland.
The 15-year-old has come through the ranks at the club and is subject to a reported £300,000 bid which could rise to £1.2m according to Football Insider.
Borland will be joining the Villains on a scholar contract and will be unable to sign professionally until his 17th birthday.
This loss of youth talent for the club comes after a long line of youngsters who have traded in Glasgow’s east end for pastures new.
Criticism has fallen on the club in recent times for the lack of first team opportunities given to youngsters. Despite success stories from the Celtic academy such as Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Kieran Tierney, there is a lack of home-grown talent in the current best starting eleven.
A lack of a clear path of progression to the first team is a potential reason for players looking down south and abroad for better chances of playing time and development.
Karamoko Dembele was the Celtic youth poster boy since he was first given his debut for the Celtic U20 side at just 13 years old in 2016.
Karamoko Dembele playing for the England youth setup in 2019 (Credit: Wikipedia Commons)
The media attention surrounding the youngster gave the hoops faithful hope that he would be a star of the future. However, injury and lack of opportunity led Dembele to run his contract down at the club and he signed for Brest in Ligue 1 last summer.
The most recent departures include Ben Doak who made his move to Liverpool at the tail end of last season. The 17-year-old has earned rave reviews since his transfer to Anfield, putting in star performances in for the U23 side and earning himself his first team debut as a substitute against Derby County in the Carabao Cup.
Ben Doak has signed his first professional contract with #LFC 🙌
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 14, 2022
The Scotland U21 international has been praised in Goal’s NXGN Awards which recognises the best 50 wonderkids in world football.
Bayern Munich are another side that have raided the Celtic youth ranks in recent years with the German giants tempting Liam Morrison and Barry Hepburn to Bavaria.
The trend of youth players leaving before being anywhere near the first team is worrying but Scottish teams simply can’t compare with the lure of playing for a Premier League side or a European giant.
The wages on offer and the world class facilities for these youngsters can be a proposition to good to turn their nose up at.
