Celtic have confirmed the signing of Irish defender Shane Duffy on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. The 28-year-old signed the deal before flying to Bulgaria for Ireland’s UEFA Nations League opener.
Shane Duffy came through the academy at Everton before being promoted to the senior team, but spend most of his time on loan. He joined Blackburn Rovers in 2014 before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2016, where he earned a promotion to the Premier League.
The defender represented Northern Ireland at youth international level before switching allegiance to the Republic of Ireland, where he made his senior team debut in 2014. He represented the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Euro 2016.
Shane Duffy has fallen down the pecking order at Brighton in recent months and made just one start for Brighton following the restart of the league campaign. He will now spend the 2020-21 campaign with the reigning 9 time consecutive Scottish Premiership champions.
Nevertheless, Celtic manager Neil Lennon was full of praise for Duffy and described him as a ‘leader’ and ‘warrior’ after Celtic announced the Irish defender’s move to Parkhead on a season-long loan with a social media reveal. Celtic FC boss was absolutely ecstatic having acquired the defender:
“He is an international player with so many great attributes”
Meanwhile, Duffy himself seemed very happy and pleased having moved to Celtic. Shane expressed it as a dream come true having been a fan of the club since his childhood. He said:
“I really am delighted to sign this deal with Celtic. It is a huge honour for me to join such a huge institution and a brilliant football club that I have always loved and admired” said Duffy who has been in love with Hoops since childhood.”
Former England and Manchester City winger Trevor Sinclair, who is well-known for his affection towards the Parkhead club, feels that Duffy is specially tailored for the Scottish game.
Sinclair reckons that the Brighton player will help Celtic rack up clean sheets and keep things tight at the back, making Celtic’s ten-in-a-row dream a reality, which will certainly grant Lennon’s squad a place in club folklore. Sinclair told talkSPORT (via The Scottish Sun):
“It is brilliant transfer news and great recruitment.”
“I think Lenny has needed that extra bit of cover.”
The 28-year-old defender completed his medical in Dublin, where he is currently training with the Republic of Ireland squad for their Nations League game. As the new sun dawns, he will certainly be looking to get more involved at Celtic under Neil Lennon.
If things are to be seen from both sides, this deal could benefit both the teams. Duffy was not much involved last season for Brighton, not being the first choice for head coach Graham Potter. Meanwhile, the Irishman would be very useful for the Hoops because of the style of play in Scottish football. It requires centre-backs to deal with a lot of crosses and Shane Duffy perfectly fits this kind of situation and game, which could be very beneficial for Neil Lennon.