Jahmai Simpson-Pusey’s move to Celtic is beginning to look like a transfer destined to fade into obscurity before it ever had the chance to spark.
The 19-year-old defender was again absent from the squad as Celtic battled past Kilmarnock in a 2-1 win at Rugby Park. That continues a worrying trend: Simpson-Pusey has yet to make a single domestic matchday squad this season.
His only real taste of involvement came in Europe, where he warmed the bench across the double-header defeat to Kairat Almaty. He never came close to stepping onto the pitch.
Soccer Football – UEFA Champions League – Play Off – Second Leg – Kairat v Celtic – Ortalyk Stadion, Almaty, Kazakhstan – August 26, 2025 Celtic’s Jahmai Simpson-Pusey during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev
That leaves Sunday’s League Cup tie against Partick Thistle looking like a critical marker in the player’s short Celtic career. If he isn’t included in that squad — against a Championship side where rotation is expected — then it’s difficult to see where his opportunities come from this side of Christmas.
The bhoys’ congested schedule offers little room for experiments once the League Cup tie passes. Every Premiership fixture will carry weight, and Rodgers will be under pressure to field his strongest available team in the Europa League. For Simpson-Pusey, that likely means more afternoons training at Lennoxtown without a sniff of first-team football.
It raises the wider question: why was he signed in the first place? The deal was rubber-stamped under Rodgers’ watch, yet all signs point to Simpson-Pusey being an acquisition driven by Celtic’s recruitment department rather than a player the manager personally targeted. Supporters are now left scratching their heads as to whether he was ever truly part of Rodgers’ plans. He hasn’t even made the Europa squad.
There have been a few players in the same boat. The likes of Inamura and Shin Yamada, who were also not in the squad yesterday, have found it tough going, but they have had some game time.
Celtic FC history is littered with players who arrived with promise only to drift into obscurity without establishing themselves. Right now, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is in danger of joining that list before his Parkhead story has even begun.
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