Celtic’s problems last campaign at centre-back were clear and obvious.
Despite signing three defenders in the shape of Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Nat Phillips (on loan) last summer in the transfer market, the team suffered injuries and poor form from all of the three combined. Phillips returned to his parent side in January, whilst the two permanent signings have both struggled for game-time, with Lagerbielke’s move to Lecce collapsing at the last minute just six months into his stay at Celtic. Nawrocki’s future is also uncertain after an injury-hit first season at the club he joined from Legia Warsaw.
With this, you would suspect there would be some movement concerning comings and goings related to this position. Cameron Carter-Vickers has five years left on his deal, whilst both Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales have put pen to paper over the last year. Yuki Kobayashi will likely move to pastures new, given his non-event of a season under Brendan Rodgers’ management. A congested position, but one that undoubtedly needs stronger reinforcements for the challenges this season.
Speaking of reinforcements, the club have this week been linked with Burnley defender Dara O’Shea. A stalwart for the Republic of Ireland with 26 caps since his international bow, the stopper was a £7 million signing from West Bromwich Albion for the Clarets, then managed by Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany. An ever-present for the now-Championship side, he made 37 appearances for the club in all competitions last season, as they finished 19th in the Premier League, suffering relegation in doing so.
In light of this, The Celtic Way’s Ryan McGinlay spoke with the Burnley Express’ Matt Scrafton to find out more about the centre-back…
Previous to his current employers at Turf Moor, O’Shea had come through the youth ranks at West Brom, before making his debut in 2019 after two successful loan spells at Hereford and Exeter City respectively. He would make 107 total appearances for his first senior club, including 28 turnouts in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season, a campaign they finished 19th in.
Following a solid 2022/23 campaign under firstly Steve Bruce and then current Baggies boss Carlos Corberan, the Irishman attracted interest from recently-promoted side Burnley, who paid £7 million for his defensive services. Burnley expert Scrafton was initially somewhat surprised at this transaction. He said: “It’s a fair question (why Burnley signed O’Shea), because Burnley had done so well the previous season by winning the Championship title.
“They already had three or four centre-backs at the club when O’Shea was signed, so there was no desperate need for a defender. They had good defenders present at the club, so it wasn’t like there was an obvious need for players in this position. When O’Shea signed from West Brom, the fans were not underwhelmed – they knew he was a good player – but there wasn’t that massive clamour for another centre-back. Coming from another Championship team, they maybe thought he was going to come in as a back-up or a rotation option. He did well at West Brom and came to his new club with great reviews.
“As you’ve seen with his statistics, he’s turned out to be probably the number one starting choice at centre-back for Burnley.”
Standing at 6’ 1’’, O’Shea has been essentially the first name on the teamsheet for Burney since his arrival, featuring in the vast majority of games since his move to Lancashire. His aforementioned 37 total appearances for his side indicate a player who rarely misses a match, with his reliability regarding staying fit an attractive attribute to possess.
Playing for Burnley exclusively in the English Premier League thus far, what is O’Shea like as a player, both in his defensive capabilities and on the ball in a positive sense? Scrafton rates the club’s number two highly. He said: “He’s an all-round good centre-back that has got a little bit of everything in the modern game.
“On the ball, he can play a bit. I wouldn’t say that he’s a natural in terms of bringing it out from the defence, but he can do that with no issues. He’s also a good, solid defender who can head it, kick it and put his body on the line with blocked shots. He’s normally the one that you will see with a last-ditch block, and he has got enough pace to deal with most attackers in the Premier League in a foot race, though I wouldn’t describe him as fast.
“He has also popped up with a goal or two in his time at Burnley. He did a lot better than what a lot of fans probably expected of him. When he was signed, a lot of fans were asking the question of if he could operate in a Kompany team that plays from the back in defence. I wouldn’t say that this side of the game comes naturally to the player – he’s not that type of player by style – but at the same time, he never looks awkward when playing this role.
“It never looks like an obvious weakness in his game when he plays this way.”
Unfortunately for Burnley, their return to the Premier League would last only one season under Kompany, as the club finished 19th in England’s top division, winning only five out of their 38 games. Despite this lowly total, O’Shea was a standout for his new club, being involved in all things good for the team during a difficult period on the park.
So much so, that Scrafton rated him highly in his personal ranking of Burnley players last campaign. He said: “When you look at the team overall, you see that is was a difficult season for all involved.
“Norwegian defensive midfielder Sander Berge was Burnley’s player of the season – he was the standout choice amongst many. After Berge, however, you could argue that O’Shea was probably the second-best player all year for the club, which suggests just how well he did.
He continued: “I must admit in the first third of the season he did struggle, but I think that was more to do with the team’s structure and the high line that Kompany was electing to play, which ended up catching the defence out in counter-attacks and transitions. It must be underlined, however, that Burnley’s fixture list at the start of the season was tough, and they ended up playing Manchester City on the first day, as well as Aston Villa, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United. Kompany’s tactics and play style did not play to O’Shea’s strengths, but the whole team struggled early doors.”
“As the season went on, however, Burnley adapted their style whilst sticking to Kompany’s principles. From that point on, O’Shea was solid and the most consistent defensive performer for the team, never making any obvious mistakes in the process.
“He even popped up with a couple of goals, which those of a Burnley persuasion probably didn’t expect.”
He certainly did pop up for his second permanent senior side, as he scored four goals – three in the Premier League – in all competitions, certifying himself as a goal threat when venturing forward for the Clarets. Amazingly, he also amassed four assists for Burnley across his first season for Kompany’s side, quite a stat for a centre-back. Scrafton admits that eight goal contributions for a defender was some going for O’Shea. He elaborated: “It was quite unusual to see a defender with those statistics!
“It was strange, because around March or April-time, he had the most assists for any defender in the Premier League, with almost no rhyme or reason to it. Not a bad return for a centre-back!”
O’Shea’s current club find themselves in a peculiar place at present concerning their managerial situation. With Kompany’s move to German giants Bayern Munich now confirmed, the club have appointed his assistant – and former Celtic loanee – Craig Bellamy to the role of ‘acting’ manager, whilst they look for a permanent replacement.
Because of this managerial uncertainty at present, the likelihood of Burnley selling their top defender last campaign seems unlikely, at least in and around the Lancashire area. Scrafton said: “It’s quite an interesting situation concerning the team and player, and a lot goes into it.
“I think that Burnley would be highly reluctant to let him go. They are in a weird position where they have been without a manager for nearly five weeks now since Kompany’s departure, but they do seem to be transitioning into more of a ‘head coach’ model for whoever their next ideal candidate will be. In the last couple of weeks, we have seen some outgoing transfers happening at the club, so decisions are being made, but those players are ones that perhaps were forecasted to be leaving already.
“With O’Shea, any interested club would likely have to wait for the next manager/coach to be appointed and a decision to be made by them before the player can leave. Burnley are in a position where they do need to recoup money due to relegation, though they received a sizable compensation package from Bayern for Kompany’s exit.
“I would be surprised if they allowed O’Shea to go without a fight, as they do have other players who they can recoup money for.”
With all of that being said, how much will Celtic and Rodgers realistically need to pay to pry O’Shea from Burnley’s clutches? Scrafton reckons big money will need to be spent in order for the club to land their man. He said: “I’m always slightly reluctant to talk about transfer values because it depends on the contexts and circumstances concerning the two parties involved.
“I think Celtic will have to pay at least what Burnley did a year ago. Even if Celtic came in with an offer in or around that range, I would be surprised if the club accepted it for the player.
“I do not think Dara O’Shea will be at the front of the list to sell for Burnley.”
