Bosun Lawal’s Flying Form as a Midfielder

Celtic fans have been waiting for the next big star to emerge from the club’s academy over the last few years. In the past decade we have had the incredible rise to greatness of Kieran Tierney, now playing for Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

Academy product Callum McGregor has remained at the club over the course of his entire career, eventually deservedly picking up the captain’s armband from Scott Brown.

Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston have both blossomed into dependable rotation players, but who is going to be the next player to come along and break into this Celtic team.

Many had had Rocco Vata nailed down as the main man to focus on, but contract disputes as well as constant interest coming from abroad from clubs in Italy has led to his game time being limited.

Daniel Kelly grabbed his first goal for the club in a 7-1 hammering over Dundee and may see some more first-team minutes coming soon with the aforementioned McGregor picking up an injury, but the best-placed prospect to break into the Celtic team next season is one who is currently out on loan.

A regular centre-back and captain for the Celtic B team for a number of seasons, Bosun Lawal has featured once for Celtic, a brief 3-minute cameo against Morton in the Scottish Cup last season.

However, since moving on loan to Fleetwood in the summer, he has found himself starring in central midfield, the position that he played in when he first caught the club’s eye as a youth player coming through the ranks at Watford.

His name has been widely discussed after a successful few weeks with the Fisherman, but just how good has his loan spell actually been?

Managerial Revolving Door, but Lawal Comes Out a Better Player

Fleetwood struggled in the early stages of the season, going through a new manager every few weeks. He first joined up with Celtic legend Scott Brown who was sacked and later replaced by former Hibernian boss Lee Johnson, whose stint at the club lasted a matter of nine matches, losing 7 of them.

Despite the constant distractions of the field with the managerial merry-go-round, Lawal was gradually improving game-by-game, getting his first senior goal in a 2-1 victory over Reading with a powerful, low-driven effort from range.

Whilst featuring regularly for Fleetwood, he has also been included regularly in the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad, playing as a centre-back instead of the midfield role where he has found form in League One.

He didn’t move the midfield until new manager Charlie Adam came along. Celtic supporters may have thought things were only going to get worse for Bosun when Adam took over, and after briefly trying out Lawal as a right-back, he soon tested him out in the midfield which has led to. a massive upturn in form for the Irishman.

His upturn in form has really come in the last month, all beginning with a player of the match performance against Port Vale where Fleetwood won 3-0.

He was sent off a few games later in a loss to Lincoln, but that didn’t derail his wave of momentum he is currently riding as in his return to action he scored a stunning, long-range effort against Barnsley.

In the most recent fixture for the Cods, Lawal grabbed a brace in a 4-2 win over Wigan Athletic where he was also once again awarded player of the match.

Fleetwood face a massive task to avoid the drop, but Lawal has been a clear standout in the team, and he could develop into the midfield destroyer that Celtic have been lacking for years now.

James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie