Celtic have lost a lot of young talent to English clubs over the years and it is something that is very frustrating for the supporters.
The fans love nothing more than watching a youngster breakthrough from the academy and become a regular first-team player.
It’s hard to believe that Kieran Tierney was last player to do that and it’s an area where Celtic really must do better.
But there was one player who was certainly good enough to do it at Celtic and Peter Martin believes the club should have tried harder to keep young Ben Doak at the club
Martin said [PLZ Soccer], “He’s been one of those players that, again, Celtic should have really pushed the boat out. They gave him a sniff and then weren’t prepared to actually tie him down.
“I think the boy had options and I think they missed a trick with him because he could have been one of those players that they would have saved buying a Yang for.”
Where Celtic really not prepared to tie Doak down? Let’s look at the events leading up to his departure.
Ange Postecoglou dropped hints on why Ben Doak left Celtic
The Australian was asked about Doak (and Karamoko Dembele) when he was the manager of Celtic back in March.
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And what Postecoglou said then hinted toward Doak possibly having his mind already made up on leaving Celtic at the time.
Speaking on Celtic YouTube, Postecoglou said, “They’ve got to want to be here and they’ve got to want to be here long-term.
“If they see their futures elsewhere or they’re not certain then I have total respect for that and everyone has the right to make their own decisions, but I’m going to invest time and opportunity into the people who want to stay at our football club.
“Whether they’re young guys or old guys, they’ve got to want to be here and they’ve got to want to see their future here for me to give them the opportunity.”
So maybe it was out of Celtic’s hands. Maybe the call from Liverpool, to be coached by Jurgen Klopp and working alongside the likes of Mo Salah was just too good to turn down.
And you have to admit, it seems to have worked out for him.
Jurgen Klopp is impressed with the former Celtic attacker
The Liverpool boss is clearly a massive fan of Doak. Speaking this month in a pre-match press conference before a Europa League match against Toulouse, Klopp was full of praise for what the youngster had done so far in such a short space of time in a Liverpool jersey.
Klopp said [Liverpool FC], “Obviously, Ben really showed up for us, played a really good pre-season.
“He had these minutes with us, had a real impact, Europa League and stuff like this, came on in the Premier League as well and then had this injury.
“That always for a boy is not cool; it costs a bit of rhythm. Now he is back with us, fully training and so is an option for tomorrow, which is really, really helpful for us.
“As I said, we have to make changes – but we want to make changes with quality. Ben has obvious quality and that’s why it’s really helpful.”
Ben Doak explains why he left Celtic
But Doak did open up in an interview earlier this year and explained why he swapped Glasgow for Merseyside.
Doak explained [The Sun], “At first, the decision to leave wasn’t an easy one. But once I went down and saw the standards and the facilities, it’s top level.
“At the same time, Celtic is the club who made me the person and player I am. I owe them everything.
“I still speak to a lot of the boys and keep up with the results.”
It’s incredible to think that Doak has already made nine appearances for Liverpool’s first team this season when in his whole career at Celtic he was given just two appearances totalling 25 minutes. [Transfermarkt]
Clearly, Liverpool also offered him a pathway to the first team that Celtic just couldn’t and that looks like it was a factor in Doak choosing The Reds over the green and white Hoops of Celtic.
And that seems to be an issue that has plagued Celtic for years and one that the Hoops support can only hope that Brendan Rodgers can remedy moving forward.
In other news, Mark Guidi says he’s been told by people at Celtic that £3m summer signing is not good enough