‘Celtic have probably got a bargain’: Hoops hailed for securing signature of ‘aggressive’ player

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Celtic have been praised by Glenn Loovens for securing the signature of Liam Shaw on a pre-contract agreement.

The versatile 19-year-old, who came through the ranks at English second-tier side Sheffield Wednesday, will join the Hoops in the summer.

According to Sky Sports, the Owls will receive around £300,000 compensation from Celtic.

Shaw, who can play in defence and midfield, joined Wednesday at the age of eight before making his first-team debut last season in July.

He signed his first professional contract in December 2018, which will run out in the summer, and has made 17 competitive senior appearances for the club.

Loovens played for both Celtic and Wednesday and, although he left Hillsborough before Shaw made his breakthrough, he’s seen enough of him to know the Bhoys have got themselves a good talent.

“I think Celtic have probably got a bargain with this guy,” he told the Scottish Sun.

“Liam was quite young when I was at Sheffield Wednesday, so he wasn’t involved when I was in the first team.

“But I’ve seen him at least twice this year playing at centre-half and I thought he looked really good.

“From then on I started following him a little bit. He is a guy with potential and he’s still very young, so he still has room to grow.

“He can play multiple positions, which isn’t always a good thing, but time will tell what his best position will be.

“I think he’s made a lot of progress this year… I could see him fitting in at Celtic. Probably centre-back will be his best position.

“He’s still got time to progress, but he’s good with the ball as he’s used to playing in midfield. He’s quite aggressive for a tall guy too.”

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Shaw has been brilliant for Wednesday since breaking into the first team, so it’s little surprise that big clubs have been circling, and credit to Celtic for snapping him up.

News of his impending departure hasn’t been met well by Wednesday fans, but it’s a coup for the Hoops, who’ll soon have one of the English Championship’s top players in their ranks.