Celtic have succeeded in the capture of Arsenal youngster, Armstrong Okoflex after the player declined a contract with the Gunners for a move to Glasgow. The 16-year-old is one of the most highly rated prospects who won the Victory Shield with Ireland last year, scoring a stunner against Scotland in the process.
However, like any budding young talent in a big club, Okoflex was unsure of his future with the Premier League outfit. He joined the Gunners youth ranks 5 years back after going through the trial process with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur as well. His excellent dribbling ability and skill with the ball won over the Arsenal scouts which landed him a move from his hometown of Dublin to the capital of England. The only time we have seen Okoflex in action, however, has been for the Arsenal U18s during which he netted in a single goal in 7 appearances last term.
The teenager is an attacking talent who can appear from both wing and centre-forward positions. He is now set to join Celtic’s development squad to fully develop himself into the frame of a Scottish Premiership footballer.
Brendan Rodgers along with his club’s recruitment head, Lee Congerton has built around a very young core group of players to deliver two consecutive domestic trebles. Rodgers also smashed the club’s transfer record to bring in a 20-year-old Odsonne Edouard from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
The entire platform for the Hoops success has been motivated by providing rising talents the space to express themselves while seasoned veterans fill in to put the entire puzzle together. Now Celtic looks like a team which can beat out expectations in the European stage if they can continue on this dominating path.
Not only do they have the best talent pool in the whole of Scotland they also have the ultimate facilities to help youngsters learn their craft in an efficient manner. Rodgers has done a brilliant job at including almost everyone in his current squad.
Okoflex has more of a fair shot at dazzling the crowd just like he did as an 11-year-old in the Celtic ranks rather than at Emirates. Signing him is a positive approach towards the club’s future even though he might not be an immediate addition to the first team.
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Whether the teenager will be able to live up to the hype, only time will tell. But for now, we can all see as a great coup for the Hoops for the long-run.
