The summer transfer window might not officially start until next week, but deals are already being put in place and the future of players is being decided. For one Celtic player, it is the end of the road at Parkhead.

It has been years since Celtic were able to bring through a player from the academy and establish them as a first-team starter. Now, we can add another name to that list of failed tries.

I had already covered reports over the past few days that the player's contract termination was only a matter of time. And now his exit has been officially confirmed.

Celtic have announced on the club's official social media channel that Stephen Welsh will be leaving the club on 30th June to join Swansea City.

Welsh still had a year left on his contract but the decision was made mutually to terminate the contract.

It is the right step for both parties. Welsh clearly did not have a future at Celtic Park. So, it does free up some squad space. And to be honest, it is also a positive way to end the stint of a player who came through the academy.

Allowing Welsh to become a free agent opened up a lot of opportunities for him that might not have been there if clubs had to pay a transfer fee to sign him. And the Scottish centre-back has already made his decision.

He has chosen to join Swansea City. They finished 11th in the Championship last season and one would imagine that they have ambitions of getting promoted to the Premier League in the near future.

While they are not within touching distance, they are not a million miles away either. Let's see if the addition of Welsh can help Swansea City move in a positive direction.

As for Celtic, the centre-back position is one that could do with reinforcements. Auston Trusty and Liam Scales were the nailed-on starters last season in the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers, who suffered another long-term injury.

READ MORE: Celtic Fans Will Love Club's Official Parkhead Announcement

Both Trusty and Scales are left-footed though. So, most feel that there needs to be a right-footed centre-back in there to help build up from the back and open up passing angles that simply are missing at the moment.

It should help defensively also. At times, it can become difficult for a left-footed right centre-back to defend all passing angles.

As for Carter-Vickers, one has to wonder whether we will ever see the best of him again after the number of injuries he has had to deal with over the past few years, starting with the 22/23 campaign. So, at the very least, the club should aim to bring in a quality backup option.

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