Former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan has told Football Insider that Celtic's signing of Sheffield Wednesday defender Osaze Urhoghide is a no brainer and has likened it to Rangers' rebuild a few years ago.
The 21-year-old signed a four year contract with the Glasgow club earlier this month and is set to compete for a spot in the first team at Celtic Park after turning down the offer of a new deal from the Owls.
Urhoghide isn't the first player to make the move north of the border from Wednesday either, with midfielder Liam Shaw having also joined the Hoops as they bid to regain the Scottish Premiership title from their arch rivals Rangers next season.
Speaking recently about the move for the right back, Whelan was quick to make the following claim involving the two Scottish clubs:
"It’s a no brainer for me, to dip into that pond. Wednesday only went down by the skin of their teeth.
"They also have a good academy set-up and there are some good players there.
"They have taken a financial fit and there are some real bargains there.
"Celtic got in there quickly because they know they need defenders. The prospect of a young player like Urhoghide going to Celtic Park to play football is massive.
"I don’t think you could ever turn down Celtic if you’ve just been relegated or if you’re in the Championship.
"It’s a mouth-watering prospect. There’s still Champions League football there.
"There are lots of plus points at the club and this could be the start of their rebuild, a bit like Rangers a few years ago."
Urhoghide leaves Wednesday after making 21 appearances for the Steel City club across two seasons after originally signing from AFC Wimbledon on a free transfer.
Whilst it has been reported in more recent times that the Owls are due to receive a compensation package from Celtic amounting to around £150,000 for the youngster's services.
The Verdict
This whole saga has put a real drain on things at Hillsborough and quite honestly I believe that the Owls will just be glad to have pout the whole thing behind them.
It is never nice to lose some of your best young players on the cheap and in Shaw and Urhoghide, Wednesday have lost two real gems that would have had brilliant sale values in more normal circumstances.
Alas they have now fallen into League One and it appears that things will probably get worse before they get better as they attempt to get back onto a firmer financial footing ahead of their promotion push.
The compensation money for the defender will be welcome from that perspective but many will be wondering what might have been if Urhoghide had been under contract when Celtic came calling.