Celtic: Postecoglou can unearth Rogic replacement with Luca Connell

by James Thompson share

3 minute read 23/5/2022 | 05:35pm

Celtic waved goodbye to veteran midfielder Tom Rogic after nine years of service following the end of their recent title winning SPFL season.

Since arriving at the Parkhead club back in the 2013 January transfer window from Central Coast Mariners, the midfielder has gone on to make 272 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 29-year-old scored 46 goals, delivered 49 assists and won numerous trophies along the way.

Taking into account what he’s done for the club over such a significant period of time, it will be a big job for the Bhoys to find a suitable replacement for the Australian.

However, one figure that Celtic already have in their ranks that Ange Postecoglou could possibly unearth as the next version of Rogic is Luca Connell.

Signed from Bolton Wanderers’ U18 side back in the 2019 summer transfer window, the midfielder has only made three appearances for Celtic’s youth team and is yet to make a senior appearance for the Bhoys.

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The 21-year-old has spent two loan spells with Scottish League One side Queen’s Park, making a total of 42 appearances in the process.

In those appearances, the youngster has found the net ten times and delivered 11 assists, showing that he certainly has a knack for scoring and creating goals, in a similar way to Rogic.

Having also played in numerous midfield positions throughout his career, Connell’s versatility could make him a very useful squad figure for Postecoglou moving forward.

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Described as having a “wand of a left foot” after scoring a goal against Edinburgh City back in April last year, Connell could well have what it takes to make the step up to playing regular senior football should he manage to impress the Celtic boss in pre-season.

While the SPFL champions are reportedly looking to add a handful of new players to their ranks during the upcoming summer transfer window, turning to Connell for his first taste of senior football with his side could be a gamble worth taking for the club.

If this were to happen and the youngster is able to make the most of any opportunities he gets to play, he could then go on to have a very fruitful career at Parkhead and potentially follow in Rogic’s footsteps.

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