Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy has introduced a new system and way of playing at Parkhead with his 3-4-2-1 formation, and there may be some players who do not make it through the transition.
Liam Scales, for example, is one player who has struggled under the French. He scored an own goal against Roma and was caught under the flight of the ball for Jonah Ayunga’s goal for St Mirren in the League Cup final after starting the manager’s first three games.
Since that mistake at Hampden, the Ireland international has had to settle for coming off the bench against Dundee United and Aberdeen in the last two Scottish Premiership matches, with Auston Trusty preferred as the only natural centre-back in the back three.
Celtic open talks to sign new defender
The Scottish giants are now looking at potentially bringing in a new player who could come in and take Scales’ place in the squad in the long term.
According to the Daily Record, Celtic have opened talks to sign 17-year-old central defender Vinny Leonard from Dundalk in the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Hoops have made an approach to snap up the teenage centre-back, having ‘ramped up’ their interest in him, and they are now in talks with the Irish side.
It adds that Genoa, Lyon, and Norwich have also been linked with the talented youngster, which means that it will not be an easy deal to get done, but it is Celtic who are in talks with Dundalk over a transfer.
The Daily Record also reveals that the Premiership champions are hoping to agree a deal that would see Leonard return to Dundalk until the end of the season, as he is unable to join the club until his 18th birthday, which is in March.
Why this is bad news for Liam Scales
Whilst Celtic are unable to bring Leonard in to bolster their squad for the second half of the season, due to his age, they could get him in ahead of pre-season next summer.
This means that Scales is not in immediate danger of losing his place in the squad, but a deal for the youngster could put the Ireland international’s long-term future at Parkhead in doubt.
The current Celtic defender needs to improve his performance levels in the short and medium term in order to prove to Nancy that he has the quality to be a long-term option for the French boss, as his recent displays have not been good enough.
After those errors that led to him moving to the bench, Scales lost 100% (3/3) of his aerial duels off the bench against Dundee United and 100% of his ground duels (1/1) against Aberdeen, per Sofascore.
What could make the Irishman sweat is that Leonard appears to be an incredibly exciting prospect, based on his impressive performances for Dundalk at first-team level and for Ireland’s youth sides.
The 17-year-old star started 33 games in the Irish 1st Division in the 2025 campaign, per Sofascore, and helped his side to keep nine clean sheets, whilst he scored four goals from centre-back.
|
2025 U17 World Cup |
Vinnie Leonard |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
Sofascore rating |
7.28 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
67% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
70% |
|
Error led to goal |
0 |
|
Penalties committed |
0 |
As you can see in the table above, Leonard also caught the eye at the U17 World Cup last month, as Ireland made it to the last 16, by dominating opposition attackers on the ground and in the air, whilst playing in a back three.
After Scales struggled in the air and on the deck in recent matches under Nancy, Celtic signing a dominant young centre-back who can play in his position as a left-footed defender must sound some alarm bells for the Hoops man.
Leonard, as explained in the clip above, also has the technical ability to provide “immense” distribution out from the back, with Richie Towell hailing the “range” of passes that he can produce.
This suggests that the Irish youngster has the quality in possession to be effective in a dominant Celtic side that often needs to break down low blocks, which is another reason why he could be an excellent addition.
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Therefore, this latest rumour is bad news for Scales because Leonard has the defensive and technical potential to arrive at Parkhead and take his place in the 2026/27 campaign.