The revelation Ben Doak seems on the verge of swapping Celtic for Liverpool was met with some predictable cynicism.
That the main points of the teenager's potential change to Anfield included some, shall we embrace, eye-catching wage figures did little to quell inevitable claims he was merely chasing the cash.
It is all a bit unfair on a 16-year-old child supplied the possibility to affix top-of-the-line soccer groups on the planet, incomes beforehand unthinkable cash (touted as £12,000-a-week) that may change his and his household's life.
However there's at all times been a degree of disdain geared toward gamers who select to depart Glasgow and that is unlikely to ever change, no matter circumstances.
In isolation, a younger expertise being tempted by brilliant lights elsewhere is not one thing for followers to be overly involved about.
However at Celtic lately, nonetheless, it is grow to be an unwelcome sample.
Doak might be the most recent in a line of prospects who've determined their future ambitions have been higher served away from Parkhead.
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If he does certainly head for Merseyside, he might be added to a listing that already contains Leo Hjelde (Leeds United), Barry Hepburn (Bayern Munich), Liam Morrison (Bayern Munich), Vincent Angelini (Watford), Cameron Harper (New York Pink Bulls), Liam Hughes (Liverpool) and Josh Adam (Manchester Metropolis).
Armstrong Oko-Flex becoming a member of from Arsenal in 2018 was thought-about an actual coup for the membership's academy, however lower than three years later he is now making waves at West Ham after a single first-team look at Celtic, one which got here solely as a result of half of Neil Lennon's squad had been worn out by Covid-19.
Ought to Karamoko Dembele, for years the most well liked prospect at Lennoxtown, not agree a brand new contract within the coming months then he too will go away Celtic behind.
It begs the query as to why so many of those highly-rated youngsters are selecting a unique path in favour of pushing for the primary group.
Sure, they may earn more cash in England however to dismiss all these departures as pure greed - a typical principle on social media - is nonsensical.
There isn't any one all-encompassing issue, and never all of them mirror badly on Celtic, both.
The Parkhead membership are a huge fish in a small pond and it could actually generally be arduous for supporters to swallow the notion that not each teenager's ambition begins and ends at Celtic Park.
Sadly, in soccer, there is a meals chain and the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool are a lot larger within the pecking order. Generally, an elite membership will flex its muscle tissues and assist themselves to one in all your gamers, it doesn't matter what Celtic do to attempt to forestall it.
Adjustments induced by Brexit has additionally restricted Premier League golf equipment' capability to cherry decide children from Europe, a growth which was at all times certain to have knock-on-effects for Scottish academies.
However there's been too many irritating examples at Celtic for there to not be critical conversations going down as to what may want to vary.
Specifically, are these gamers seeing a transparent sufficient pathway to the primary group?
In Doak's case, two senior appearances at 16 - one towards Rangers - is a promising begin however there are lots others who, a technique or one other, clearly felt these alternatives weren't going to materialise.
For each Kieran Tierney there is a Jack Aitchison and it seems there are a big variety of children trying warily on the latter than hopefully on the former.
What will likely be much more irritating for supporter will likely be that not so way back it was Celtic mopping up the likes of Oko-Flex and Jeremie Frimpong from down south in a reverse situation.
What the arrival of Ange Postecoglou may do to reverse this pattern stays to be seen.
The supervisor cannot be accused of not giving academy gamers a chance up to now, integrating the likes of Doak, Dembele, Adam Montgomery, Dane Murray and Owen Moffat at numerous phases, albeit generally by necessity.
The demand for home dominion in Glasgow dictates there aren't usually matches the place a Celtic, or Rangers, supervisor can chill out and fill his facet with children in the way in which a Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola might do within the English League Cup.
It is a tough steadiness to strike with the stakes so excessive,