Celtic starlet reveals his Parkhead 'dream' as forgotten man edges towards exit door
The Celtic youngster has opened up on his future at Parkhead.
Celtic starlet Johnny Kenny admits he is desperate to make his mark on Brendan Rodgers’ first team this season, but says he will put full trust in the ‘brilliant’ head coach’s plan for him moving forward following suggestions he could be available for loan.
The 21-year-old striker broke into the Celtic first team in the second-half of last season following a goal-laden spell on loan at League Of Ireland club Shamrock Rovers, scoring his first goal in the 5-1 demolition of Aberdeen at Pittodrie, where he made his full debut for the club.
Subject of a failed £500,000 bid from EFL League One side Bolton Wanderers last week, Kenny says he has no plans to depart Celtic Park this summer, though he will follow the club’s wishes if they feel a loan move is good for his development.
“I’d love to sign a new contract at this club,” Kenny told the IrishExaminer. “It’s the club I want to play for at the end of the day. Since I came back in January, I can’t describe how good the manager has been for me. Obviously, he wants me to sign a new deal, so that’s very promising for me at this club. I’m happy to sign a new contract.
“The manager will make his decision on that (another loan move). Wherever I am, I want to play football. I want to develop myself, and I think playing games is going to develop me. I want to try and break into the national team, and I think playing games is the way I’m going to get into that team.
“I think the manager will have a pathway for me, and I don’t think he’s going to keep me here and not play me. So whatever the manager decides, I'm all behind, because everything he's told me since January has been 100 per cent, so I believe in the manager. I came in, learned my trade the last few months, learned the system in and out of possession. I feel like I'm ready to kick on now and hopefully get the opportunities to do that. My dream is to represent this club on a daily basis.”
While Kenny has reiterated his desire to remain at Celtic, forgotten midfielder Hyeok-kyu Kwon is edging closer to the exit door with ‘several’ European clubs said to have enquired about a transfer for the 24-year-old. Kwon spent last season on loan at Scottish Premiership rivals Hibs, but struggled for regular game time at Easter Road and is expected to depart on a permanent deal, with various clubs credited with an interest.
According to Fussball Europa, it is Austria Vienna who are showing the most interest though, with Celtic not expected to‘put any obstacles in the way if a suitable offer came in’ for the Austrian Bundesliga outfit. According to the report, the Scottish champions are looking for a cut-price fee of around €300,000 in order to sanction a permanent transfer for the player, with Kwon having three years to run on his current contract.
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