Celtic Land 16-Year-Old Keeper Lyall Ahead of Arsenal and Premier League Rivals | OneFootball

Celtic have won the race for one of Scotland’s most sought-after teenage goalkeepers, with 16-year-old Warren Lyall choosing Parkhead over Arsenal and a queue of English suitors.

Warren Lyall has signed his first professional contract with Celtic, rejecting interest from Arsenal and several other English Premier League clubs to commit to the Hoops. The Dundee academy product had trained with Arsenal earlier in 2025 and was being monitored widely south of the border, making this a genuine coup rather than a straightforward domestic signing.

As reported by 67HailHail, Celtic saw off significant English competition to land Lyall, who had attracted attention after establishing himself as one of the standout young goalkeepers in the country through Dundee’s youth setup and Scotland youth squads. Dundee will receive training compensation for the academy graduate – a consequence of the system rather than a negotiated fee, but still a meaningful return for a club that has clearly been doing something right at development level.

Lyall goes straight into the Celtic B team, where he’ll work under Johnny Hayes, Stevie Hammell and goalkeeping coach Colin Meldrum. That’s the right place for him – structured, competitive, and with a clear pathway if he develops as hoped. Nobody is talking about first-team minutes yet, and nor should they be. The B team environment has shown it can produce; the job now is to give Lyall the time and coaching to fulfil what the interest from clubs of Arsenal’s stature suggests he’s capable of.

It’s also worth noting the broader goalkeeping picture Celtic are assembling. Lyall arrives alongside Shea McGarry from Cliftonville, and the club’s ongoing pursuit of Hertha Berlin’s Tjark Ernst points to a club thinking carefully about the entire position from top to bottom. That kind of layered planning matters.

Let’s be honest – the fact that a highly-rated sixteen-year-old, with the option of moving to a club of Arsenal’s resources and profile, looks at what Celtic are offering and says yes is not nothing. Celtic’s ability to hold and attract players despite serious English interest is increasingly becoming one of the understated strengths of where this club sits right now. The B team structure, the development environment, the prospect of actually playing competitive football – it’s a genuine selling point.

Lyall’s progress through Lowland League fixtures and Scotland youth squads will be the benchmark to watch. Welcome to Celtic Park, Warren. Mon The Hoops.