Celtic’s playing a mugs game – Doak, Vata, Kelly, now probably Cummings

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·02 de fevereiro de 2025

Celtic’s playing a mugs game – Doak, Vata, Kelly, now probably Cummings

It’s all turning into a mugs game for Celtic…

Daniel Cummings of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Youth League 2024/25 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Lesser Hampden on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

It will be sad to see Daniel Cummings leave, but it’s not about development, and more about money. He’s certainly not the first, and he definitely won’t be the last…

Daniel Cummings, Arne Engels and Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, applauds the fans after the team’s defeat during the UEFA Champions League match between Aston Villa and Celtic at Villa Park on January 29, 2025. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Vídeos OneFootball

Cummings close to pre-contract deal with West Ham

We look to have lost yet another promising prospect in Daniel Cummings who looks set to sign a pre-contract with EPL side West Ham United. Lower profile agents have sourced a rich revenue source picking off the cream from Celtic’s Academy and placing them in English sides whether it’s current Premier League leaders Liverpool or even more humble destinations like Millwall or Watford. It looks like we are going to add West Ham to that list.

Daniel Cummings of Celtic scores his team’s third goal during the UEFA Youth League 2024/25 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Lesser Hampden on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Daniel Cummings who has been prolific in the B side this season appeared as a substitute in the 4-2 defeat against Aston Villa on Wednesday night, was supposedly offered a new deal by the club, but now looks set to be yet another youth product to be tempted by the riches down south.

Celtic’s record of fielding youth players has been abysmal in recent years, we can’t deny that, but is Daniel Cummings going to get more first team opportunities in East London? No is the honest answer. In fact his chances of first team football would be significantly better at Celtic.

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE…

Daniel Cummings of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Youth League 2024/25 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Lesser Hampden on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers spoke about Cummings at his media conference on Friday afternoon. Here’s what the Celtic manager was asked and had to say in response to having first being asked about introducing two young players to the Champions League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Wednesday night then specifically about Daniel Cummings.

Q: The changes you made in the game, there were young players. Is that something you could maybe see a wee bit more of between now and the end of the season, some youth players getting a chance?

Brendan Rodgers: “Youth players will always get the chance from me if they’re good enough. You know, the pathway is not meant to be easy. Just because you’re a youth player at Celtic, it doesn’t mean then you go and play for the first team. It means you’ve got to earn the right. Dane Murray is a player I really like. I’ve seen him play here early on in his career and then he had a horrendous injury that’s put him out for a long time. He’s come back, you can see the work he’s done. He’s 6’4″, he’s big, he’s got good pace, he can play. I wanted to stick him on the other night because the things I’ve been telling him in order to be a top player, because he’s a great big guy, he’s a nice big guy. You step on the pitch, you’ve got to be aggressive. And sometimes you don’t understand that until you experience it.

Daniel Cummings of Celtic (L) celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Youth League 2024/25 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Lesser Hampden on November 05, 2024 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“So to stick him on for 15-20 minutes, to get bashed up a bit and make a mistake, that’s a part of your learning. Because you can play relaxed, or you can look relaxed, but you can’t play relaxed. But I think if he can really make that mindset step, then he could be a really good player for us.

“So that possibility to stick him on there. Liam Scales cramped, he’d obviously not played for a wee while. So we had to make those changes, Daniel coming on, Adam had run his race, done great for us. I always say the same thing, if the young players are good enough and they have the right mentality, there’ll always be an opportunity of playing him.”

Q: There’s talk of Daniel Cummings getting a new contract, is there any update on that?

Brendan Rodgers: “There’s no update on that. I’d always say for the young players, I think the challenge here now for young players is patience. They want to be in the first team at 17, 18. But that’s difficult at a club like this here, unless you’re an incredibly special talent. But it doesn’t mean that you can never be. I’ve spent my career and my life developing young players, putting them in the team.

“And some have been ready. Like Raheem Sterling at 17 years of age. He was ready. Physically, mentally, ability, everything. Then there’s been some other players, like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, that need a wee bit more time, and he gets his debut, and then he’s ready a bit later.

Daniel Kelly of Celtic during the cinch Scottish Premiership match between Hearts and Celtic at Tynecastle on 3 March 2024. Photo IMAGO

“It’s just about time. What young players need to have here is, is understand that there’s a bit of patience needed. And the captain of the club is a perfect example. Young players come through the system, had to take a loan away from here, and then at 21 he plays, and now tomorrow he’s playing his 500th game. There’s no greater example.

“But if you want to be patient and trust the club, you’ll get there. If you don’t, you might listen to your agent, who’s got a different agenda, that takes you away from here, and then you’ll go somewhere else. But there’ll always be chances here for young players. One, if they have the ability. Two, if they have a bit of patience.”

Ben Doak and Greg Taylor of Celtic celebriate victory after the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and theRangers at Celtic Park on February 02, 2022. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Remember Ange Postecolgou bringing Ben Doak on in the 3-0 game against theRangers three years ago today – which we have just featured on The Celtic Star – before he opted to join Liverpool?

The brutal truth is that it’s all about money, and not development, you can’t argue with that. Daniel will most likely earn three or four times more than Celtic could have offered him, and that’s not a criticism of the player, it’s just human nature, and it’s well within his rights to look after himself and his long term future.

Rocco Vata of Celtic celebrates after he scores his team’s fifth goal during the the Celtic v Buckie Thistle – Scottish Cup match at Celtic Park on January 21, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

It’s a blow to see yet another promising youngster leave the club, but that’s just the nature of the modern game. He’s certainly not the first, and he definitely won’t be the last.

Recently theRangers decided to bin their B-Team while Celtic continue in the low level Lowland League. There needs to be a major re-think on all of this especially if the potential first team player we develop leave the nest at the earliest opportunity and have agents touting them around English clubs as their Celtic deals come to a close.

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