Celtic return from the latest international break with a trip to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, as they aim to return to the top of the table.
Brendan Rodgers and his men are currently two points behind Hearts in the top-flight table, which is not where they want to be, heading into this weekend’s fixtures.
Despite it being the middle of October, with an international break having just finished and a league game on the horizon, Celtic are also having to deal with a transfer rumour.
It was reported on Thursday that the Scottish giants are set to complete a deal to sign central midfielder Bobby Clark from Austrian side RB Salzburg to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
However, as shown in the video above, Derby County manager John Eustace, who has the midfielder on loan from Salzburg, was unaware of any potential transfer.
The latest news on Bobby Clark to Celtic
It had been reported that the Hoops had agreed a £6m deal with Salzburg to sign the former Liverpool central midfielder once the January transfer window opens for business at the start of next year.
A fresh update has emerged on the situation, though, and provided some much-needed context that supporters who were excited about the potential signing may not be too pleased with.
CeltsAreHere claims that there has been no contact between Celtic and RB Salzburg about a deal for Clark, much less a deal agreed between the two clubs for his services.
The report adds that there may be interest from the Hoops in the English midfield whiz, but that has not extended to them agreeing a deal to sign him ahead of the January window, at least at this moment in time.
This suggests that the initial report that claimed a deal was in place to sign the 20-year-old talent was wide of the mark, and that may not be a bad thing for Celtic, based on Clark’s form in the last 18 months or so.
Appearances
17
8
Starts
7
5
Goals
1
0
Key passes per game
0.6
0.4
Assists
0
0
Tackles + interceptions per game
0.8
1.1
Duel success rate
35%
35%
As you can see in the table above, the £6m-rated starlet struggled for starts at Salzburg before his loan move to Derby, where he has struggled in and out of possession in the Championship.
A theme across both campaigns seems to be that he has failed to deliver consistent quality at the top end of the pitch, whilst also being dominated by opposition players in physical duels in the middle of the park.
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Clark is a young player, at the age of 20, who has plenty of time left to develop and improve in the years to come, but his form for Salzburg and Derby does not suggest that he would immediately improve Rodgers’ squad.
In fact, Celtic currently have a rotation option in their midfield ranks who is even better than the former Liverpool midfielder at this moment in time, Luke McCowan.
Why Celtic do not need Bobby Clark
The Scottish giants do not need to sign Clark from Salzburg to add more depth to their midfield ranks because they already have plenty of options in those positions.
Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate have been the regular first-choice number eights for Rodgers in the Premiership so far this season, with Paulo Bernardo, Arne Engels, and McCowan in reserve.
McCowan’s performances for Celtic as a back-up central midfielder since his £1m move from Dundee at the start of the 2024/25 campaign prove that the Hoops do not need Clark, as the Scottish ace is a terrific option to bring off the bench and start when needed.
The left-footed star has only started three of his seven appearances in the Premiership during the 2025/26 campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that he is not a first-choice option in one of the two number eight slots in midfield.
McCowan was once described as a “game winner” by pundit Marvin Bartley, and that was proven to be accurate on the opening day of this season against St Mirren.
The 27-year-old midfield magician has proven to be an effective operator when called upon by Rodgers, with one goal and one ‘big chance’ created in three league starts this term.
That comes after an eye-catching return of eight goals and eight assists in 36 appearances in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore, despite only starting 16 of those outings, whilst Clark scored one goal and failed to provide any assists at league level in that time.
xG
0.31
Top 3%
Goals
0.46
Top 4%
Shots on target
1.26
Top 3%
xA
0.40
Top 3%
Assists
0.46
Top 5%
Chances created
2.51
Top 5%
As you can see in the table above, McCowan was one of the most effective attacking midfielders in the Premiership last term, with an exceptional haul of 0.92 goals and assists per 90 on average.
The former Dundee star may not go on to be sold for £25m like Matt O’Riley, because he is not a young player with potential, but he still has plenty left to give at the age of 27.
This means that Celtic and Rodgers should not be in any rush to replace McCowan in the squad any time soon, because they will struggle to find a replacement who can be as effective in as limited a role as the Scottish ace is.
Therefore, the Hoops should not worry too much about pursuing a deal to sign Clark for £6m from Salzburg, because they already have a better central midfielder who is not starting games regularly for them.