Celtic star Ben Lawal agrees deal ahead of move
Celtic defender Bosun Lawal is set to sign a new deal at the club and then head out on loan to Fleetwood Town, sources have told Football Insider.
Lawal, 20, is highly-regarded at Celtic after joining the club from Watford in the summer of 2021 and they are set to reward with him a new deal before sending him out on loan to gain valuable first-team experience.
A number of clubs in England have expressed an interest in Lawal, but Fleetwood have moved quickly for the defender with Scott Brown a fan of the player having worked with him during his time at Celtic.
The Republic of Ireland U21 international made one appearance for Celtic in the Scottish Cup last season with Lawal featuring predominantly for Celtic’s B team.
Lawal rose through the ranks of Watford’s academy between 2019 and 2021 but rejected a one-year contract with the Hornets in favour of moving to Scotland.
However, he has been unable to force his way into the first-team picture at Celtic Park and the coaching staff have opted to send him on loan to gather experience.
He played 1,800 minutes of youth football for Celtic’s B side last season, scoring six times and registering two assists despite spending the majority of his time in defence.
Lawal’s mostly been deployed at centre-back during his time at Celtic, but has also shown his versatility by playing further forward in a midfield role.
Lawal has also impressed on the international stage having represented the Republic of Ireland since being called up to the Under-15s squad.
He remains a part of Ireland’s setup having now made four appearances for the country’s Under-21s side.
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Defender Bosun Lawal was of interest to other League One clubs, but Fleetwood Town are set to get their hands on him
The good relationship between Fleetwood Town and Celtic looks set to continue in 2023 as the Cod Army are poised to land one of the Scottish Premiership champions’ top prospects.
Last summer, the Lancashire outfit appointed former Scotland international midfielder Scott Brown to his first ever managerial role and they finished a respectable 13th position in League One in his debut year in charge.
His most notable playing stint was at Celtic, where he was a hard-working, no-nonsense captain, so it only made sense if he were to sign players from his former club as they would be keen to help him out.
Brown signed midfielder Scott Robertson on a permanent basis from Celtic Park, and with the 2023-24 season already started, it looks as though Fleetwood are poised to add yet another youngster from Brendan Rodgers’ side to their squad.
That is because according to Football Insider, a deal has been agreed for centre-back Bosun Lawal to join Town on a season-long loan deal, which will come after he signs a new contract with the Hoops.
And that will come as somewhat of a blow to some of Fleetwood’s third tier rivals, with both Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers linked a few weeks ago with attempting to land the 20-year-old for their own clubs.
Who is Bosun Lawal?
Irish defender Lawal, who can also play in midfield, was actually snapped up by Watford in 2019 from Bohemians and won the Hornets’ Academy Player of the Year in 2021, but he turned down the offer of a new contract and headed instead to Celtic Park.
Lawal has been featuring regularly for Celtic’s B-team in the last couple of years whilst also captaining the Republic of Ireland under-19’s side before his move up to the under-21’s, and he finally made his debut first-team appearance in January 2023 in a Scottish FA Cup match against Morton.
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