Osaze Urhoghide moved from Sheffield United to Celtic FC in a controversial circumstance and he has been like a fish out of water since his arrival at Celtic Park. Playing time has been difficult to come by, and less than six months after the switch, the Hoops are contemplating shipping the one-time Super Eagles invitee out of the club
Celtic manager Ante Postecoglou has admitted that former Sheffield Wednesday player- Osaze Urhoghide, who made the switch north under controversial circumstances last season could find himself on the move in January.
The defender is yet to make any sort of impact on the Celtic first team with just a single Challenge Cup outing to his name.
“It’s about now getting him the right opportunity, that maybe here, that maybe a loan deal somewhere but we’ll make those decisions come January,” Postecoglou said.
The Parkhead boss insists he has improved as players since joining, due to hard work on the training pitch, but says it’s harder to throw young players into a team in transition.
Postecoglou says talks will be held with both players over potentially finding them the right loan opportunity in the winter window.
Asked about a lack of minutes for Urhoghide by Celtic fan media, he said: “It certainly hasn’t been an easy introduction for him and the fact that he has already hit the ground running and made an impact is great and positive.
“The key to that is to keep going obviously because again we’re only in the early stages of developing this football team and our players.
“But obviously we brought him in at a time where a lot of new players are in the team, the team’s finding its way. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get a lot of game time for him but they’re working hard at training every day.
“He is pushing himself. I believe even though he hasn’t played, he has improved as footballers. If you train every day with us, one thing I will say is you will improve.
“We’ll sit down with him and see what the best way forward is.”
Having been born in Netherlands and lived in England, Urhoghide is eligible to play for the two European nations, but he instead opted to play for Nigeria, where both parents originated from.
Urhoghide has indeed revealed that he would be honoured to play international football for three-time African champions, Nigeria.
He was born in the Netherlands to Nigerian parents 21 years ago and is also eligible for England having lived in the country for roughly 15 years.
In a question and answer session with his fans, the centre-half was asked if he would play for Nigeria and he replied: “Personally, it would be an honour to play for Nigeria. International football is something that I’m working towards and hopefully in the near future I can play for them.
“I’ve got some options, Nigeria, Netherlands, England as well so there are some options so I’m working towards that.
“It is one of my goals as well so hopefully in the near future I’ll achieve it.”
Urhoghide admits to being a boyhood Chelsea fan because his Nigerian father supports the Stamford Bridge outfit. “Growing up I’ve always supported Chelsea. I lived in West London, my dad supports Chelsea.
“I’m not sure why I chose to pick Chelsea but probably because my dad supported them but the teams I’ve stayed with as well, supported them being with the highs and lows but it’s always been Chelsea.”
Since his celebrated move to Celtic from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer transfer window, Urhoghide has made one competitive appearance for the Hoops and it was for their B team in a SPFL Trust Trophy clash against Morton on September 4.
The 21-year-old defender who was out of contract and chose to join new manager Postecoglou as the first signing of the Greek-Australian’s era after he took over in June.
Netherlands-born Urhoghide began his professional career with AFC Wimbledon in 2018, before he joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2019 and made 19 appearances over two seasons for the championship side.
Postecoglou said of Urhoghide’s signing: “It’s great. He’s someone that the club’s been tracking for a while and when I came on board, I managed to have a meeting with him and he’s a good young man, he’s very ambitious.
“He’s just beginning his football career but he shows all the attributes on and off the field to want to become a top player, so it’s great to get him here. He can play a couple of positions at the back and, most importantly, he’s really keen to learn and develop and I think this will be a great environment for him.
“He’s a modern defender. He’s good athletically, he’s mobile, he’s quick and he wants to get on the ball. He can play a couple of different positions, and from our perspective, and the way we want to play our football, there are certain things I look for in players irrespective of age, and he’s got some really good attributes to be a top defender.
“The most important thing is, he’s got a real desire to reach the very top. He’s excited about joining the club, which is important to me because that’s the first thing I want to hear from players, that they’re really keen to join us.”
When Urhoghide arrived at Parkhead earlier in the summer, there was a belief that he could end up playing a big part in Postecoglou’s side this season. At the time, the likes of Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Watford were also believed to have been interested in his signature.
But a few months on and it does feel like Urhoghide will need some time to adjust to his new surroundings before making an impact in the first-team picture. While the 21-year-old had made several appearances for Sheffield Wednesday last season, he is yet to make his competitive debut for the Glasgow giants.
Having arrived at a club somewhat limited in defensive options, particularly after the exit of Kris Ajer to Brentford, the 21-year-old centre-half signed from Sheffield Wednesday would have been forgiven for thinking a chance for a first team shirt would come quicker than he thought. Instead Urhoghide knows chances will be limited as when they do arrive, he’ll have to hit the ground running.
