Why Stoke City starlet Tyrese Campbell could be a real coup for Celtic
According to the Daily Record (h/t The Scottish Sun), Celtic are among a host of clubs keeping an eye on England U20 international striker Tyrese Campbell, who is out of contract at Stoke City in the summer of 2020.
As per the report, the Hoops are running the rule over several attacking options ahead of the mid-season trading period in January and the 19-year-old’s imminent availability has put the reigning Scottish champions on red alert.
Campbell, who started his footballing education at Man City, joined the Potters back in the summer of 2016 before making his professional debut for the club against Leicester City in the Premier League towards the back end of the 2017-18 season.
The highly-rated starlet made a further three substitute appearances for Stoke City as they suffered relegation from the top-flight and a drop down to the Championship was expected to open the door for Campbell to stake a claim for a more substantial first-team role at the bet 365 Stadium.
However, the teenager was loaned out to Shrewsbury Town in EFL League One last January after playing only a bit-part role at his parent club during the first half of the previous campaign. Campbell, though, proved his worth in the English third-tier and netted 5 times in 15 appearances for Shrewsbury.
The 19-year-old has scored once in 16 appearances for the Potters in all competitions so far this season, although only six of those outings have come as a starter. Campbell continues to be held in high regard at the bet 365 Stadium but Stoke could be forced to cash in on one of their burgeoning young talents in January if a new contract is not negotiated soon enough.
To that end, Celtic’s interest in Tyrese Campbell certainly makes a lot of sense in footballing terms, given that the 19-year-old’s talent and potential have been there for everybody to see, despite his bit-part involvement at Stoke City.
That he is a part of England’s U-20 ranks and has already clocked up 26 senior appearances for Stoke City are enough to suggest that Campbell is ahead of his development schedule at the moment.
Besides stamping their authority on the domestic front with some top-quality signings to bolster the first-team, the Hoops have continued to scour the continent for bright emerging prospects, and the English market has often proven to be a reliable source of budding young talents for the Scottish giants.
Teenage right-back Jeremie Frimpong, who arrived as a rookie from Man City this past summer, has established himself as one of the mainstays of Neil Lennon’s XI with a string of top-drawer displays.
Other highly-rated youngsters like Jonathan Afolabi, Lee O’Connor and Luca Connell were also roped in from the youth academies of Southampton, Man United and Bolton respectively this past summer and Tyrese Campbell could be yet another fantastic addition to the existing pool of up and coming players at Parkhead.
Verdict
Looking at the first-team scenario, Celtic can certainly do with some better competition for star striker Odsonee Edouard, with Leigh Griffiths only a shadow of his former glorious self and Vakoun Issouf Bayo struggling to make an impact due to injuries.
Campbell might not fit the bill of an immediate game-changer at Parkhead but Celtic don’t really need one, given that they are already pretty well-stocked in the attacking department. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old left-footed ace looks like a bright young talent in the right age bracket who could possibly work wonders for the Hoops in the years to come.
It remains to be seen whether Celtic make an approach to lure him away from Stoke on a cut-price deal in January or they wait until next summer to snap him up on a free transfer.
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Either way, Tyrese Campbell to Celtic makes perfect sense and this could well be a shrewd piece of business that pays off rich dividends for Lennon moving forward.
