From Fulham To Parkhead: The Peculiar Callum Osmand Situation At Celtic Nobody Really Has An Answer For Yet

There’s something strangely difficult about judging Callum Osmand right now.

Because technically, he’s already achieved quite a lot.

Scored against them in a cup semi-final.

Scored and assisted on the final day against Hearts.

Overcame a brutal injury that kept him out for six months.

Has looked sharp almost every time he’s appeared.

And yet somehow, we still don’t really know what he is yet.

Because right now, all we’ve really seen are cameos.

Little flashes.

Moments.

Across all competitions, Osmand has seven appearances.

Four goals.

One assist.

395 minutes total.

On paper, that looks brilliant.

Until you remember, three appearances and two goals came in the Challenge Cup for the B team.

Which slightly changes the context.

Still impressive.

But not enough evidence yet to fully judge where he fits long-term.

That’s what makes this whole situation so interesting.

The Timing Around Him Couldn’t Be More Important

The striker situation is changing quickly.

Daizen Maeda looks increasingly likely to go.

Arigato Daizen.

We already know how important he became to the title run.

And suddenly there’s space opening up in the squad.

At the same time, there’s genuine debate over whether Iheanacho should stay permanently.

Then there’s the Kasper Høgh links appearing.

And somehow Osmand just sits awkwardly in the middle of all of it.

Too talented to ignore.

Too inexperienced to fully trust yet.

We forget that the club tried to send him out on loan to Falkirk only for Osmand himself to refuse the move.

Rodgers Rated Him Highly At The Start Of The Season

One thing people forget is how highly rated he actually was arriving here last summer.

There’s a serious line of Fulham academy talent that’s passed through our dressing room over the years.

Moussa Dembele.

Patrick Roberts.

Matt O’Riley.

That pathway matters.

And Brendan Rodgers clearly saw something in Osmand too.

Rodgers said:

“I think the plan is to take him in, have a look and see where he’s at, and then decide what his development needs to look like.”

That’s exactly where we still are.

Trying to work out what level he’s actually at.

Because physically, technically and movement-wise, there’s definitely something there.

You can see it immediately.

He doesn’t look overwhelmed.

Martin O’Neill Clearly Likes Him

The interesting thing now is how different things feel under Martin O’Neill.

You can tell immediately O’Neill has a soft spot for him.

Managers don’t throw young strikers into pressure moments unless they trust them.

O’Neill has been incredibly important in the development of Osmand.

Should O’Neill stay, then you can see Osmand having a bigger impact next season.

Trusting him to come on against Hearts’ when we needed a goal.

That’s a huge moment for a young player.

Osmand returning the favour with an assist and a goal.

It’s a massive moment.

Especially one returning from serious injury setbacks earlier in the year.

Osmand himself recently admitted he wasn’t even sure whether O’Neill would stay long-term.

But he also said O’Neill deserves a statue after what happened this season.

You can understand why younger players would feel attached to O’Neill.

He gives opportunities.

What also made the Scottish Cup final interesting was Osmand never actually got on the pitch.

Which surprised me slightly.

Especially after assisting Maeda against Hearts and scoring himself during the title run-in.

You’d think those moments alone would’ve earned him meaningful minutes at Hampden.

Instead, O’Neill turned to Iheanacho from the bench.

And to be fair… he scored and played very well.

So it’s difficult to massively criticise the decision in hindsight.

But it still says a lot about where Osmand currently sits in the pecking order.

Close enough to be kept around but not fully trusted.

Should He Be the Second Choice Next Season?

That’s the real question now.

Part of me thinks yes.

If somebody scores against Rangers in a semi-final, scores in a title decider run-in, and consistently looks lively, eventually you need to trust them properly.

Otherwise, what’s the point?

But the other side of it is if someone is injured, we’re talking about him leading the line for a club expected to win every week.

That pressure destroys players quickly.

Especially young strikers.

So maybe the smartest thing is controlled development.

More minutes.

Rotate with two other strikers and re-evaluate it after next season.

Because there’s definitely talent there.

I worry however Osmand would not be happy being third choice.

Time will tell.