Why Liverpool Have Done A Good Job By Blocking Harry Wilson’s Loan Move To Celtic
Harry Wilson is turning into a goal-scoring machine of sorts at Liverpool. He recently scored again for Liverpool’s under-23 team over the weekend to make it 7 goals in 6 appearances so far this season.
A solid attack-oriented winger, Wilson has already featured at international level for Wales and is gradually establishing himself as one of the most exciting young talents to watch out for. He made quite a reputation for himself which unsurprisingly attracted Celtic in the summer. Brendan Rodgers was understood to be keen on signing the player for the Scottish champions on a loan, but the move fell through after Jurgen Klopp refused to let him leave.
Harry Wilson has come through the ranks at Liverpool and he made his first-team debut in the FA Cup replay win over Plymouth in January. The 20-year-old is highly regarded at Anfield and is the captain of the club’s under-23s side. He became Wales’ youngest ever player when he was capped against Belgium back in 2013 at the age of 16.
Wilson was also impressive for the U23s last term, having scored 28 goals from a wide role. In many situations before, we’ve seen such prolific youngsters take up loan deals with other clubs, so when Celtic came calling, everybody expected him to leave.
Scottish champions Celtic were looking to bolster their attacking options during the summer, after Patrick Roberts’ return to Manchester City after a successful loan spell in Glasgow (Roberts then re-joined Celtic on a season-long loan). Moreover, Rodgers was aware of Wilson’s potential as he has been in charge of Liverpool before, which made the move to Celtic seem quite good, to be honest.
However, his performances now prove that Klopp made the right decision and fought off every attempt made to sign him. Undoubtedly, the Reds were reluctant to lose Wilson since a player like him comes ever so rarely. They will be hoping he breaks into the first-team sometime soon, and that moment could not be far off.
Liverpool had no intention of letting Wilson leave, and so far the decision is paying off. Wilson, now 20, could easily have given in to frustration after a potential route to first-team football was blocked. But he chose to push the negativity away and is producing the best football of his young career. His performances of late are making it hard for Klopp to ignore him, and it could be very soon that the player makes a mark in the first-team.
On the other hand, missing out on Wilson appears to have been a lost opportunity for Celtic at present, but their chances are not over. They could possibly launch an attempt once more – either in January or next summer if they are unable to sign Patrick Roberts permanently from Manchester City. However, again, the decision would come down to Klopp, who is clearly not keen on letting his top talents leave on loan – a decision that is paying off in dividends.