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Celtic Manager Wilfried Nancy has introduced a new system and way of playing at Parkhead with his 3-4-2-1 formation, and some players may not make the transition successfully.
Liam Scales, for example, is a player who struggled under the French. He scored an own goal against Roma and was caught in 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 make do with coming off the bench against Dundee United and Aberdeen in the last two games. Scottish Premiership matches, with Auston Trusty favored as the only natural central defender in the bottom three.
Celtic open negotiations to sign new defender
The Scottish giants are now considering potentially signing a new player who could come in and take Scales’ place in the team in the long term.
According to the daily newspaperCeltic have opened negotiations to sign 17-year-old centre-back Vinny Leonard from Dundalk in the January transfer window.
The report claims the Hoops have made a move to sign the teenage centre-back, after “increasing” their interest in him, and they are now in talks with the Irish side.
He adds that Genoa, Lyon and Norwich have also been linked with the talented youngster, meaning it won’t be an easy deal to complete, 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 will not be able to join the club until his 18th birthday in March.
Why it’s bad news for Liam Scales
Although Celtic will not be able to bring in Leonard to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season, due to his age, they could bring him in before pre-season next summer.
It means Scales is in no immediate danger of losing his place in the team, 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 performances in the short to 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 performances have not been good enough.
After these errors which led to him being moved 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, according to Sofascore.
What might make the Irishman sweat is that Leonard looks to be an incredibly exciting prospect, based on his impressive performances for Dundalk in the first team and for Ireland’s youth teams.
The 17-year-old star started 33 matches in the Irish Premier League during the 2025 campaign, according to Sofascore, and helped his side keep nine clean sheets, while he scored four goals from centre-back.
|
U17 World Cup 2025 |
Vinnie Leonard |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
Sofascore rating |
7.28 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
67% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
70% |
|
A mistake led to the goal |
0 |
|
Sanctions committed |
0 |
As you can see in the table above, Leonard also caught the eye during the U17 World Cup last month, as Ireland advanced to the last 16, dominating opposition attackers on the ground and in the air, while playing in a three-man defence.
After Scales struggled in the air and on 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 ring alarm bells for the Hoops man.
Leonard, as explained in the clip above, also has the technical ability to provide “immense” distribution from the back, with Richie Towell praising the “range” of passes he can produce.
This suggests that the young Irishman has the possession quality to be effective in a dominant Celtic team who often need to break down low blocks, which is another reason why he could be a great addition.
Therefore, this latest rumor is bad news for Scales as Leonard has the defensive and technical potential to arrive at Parkhead and take his place in the 2026/27 campaign.
