Why Plymouth Argyle have pulled out of Celtic, Stephen Welsh transfer deal | OneFootball

The reason why Plymouth Argyle are no longer pursuing Celtic defender Stephen Welsh has been revealed.

Celtic defender Stephen Welsh was previously linked with a move to Plymouth Argyle, which never went on to materialise, and now it's been revealed why the deal is off.

It was first reported at the end of July that the Pilgrims had made a loan offer to the Scottish club to bring the defender to Home Park on a temporary basis, as they found themselves thin on the ground in the heart of their defence.

Sky Sports News reporter Anthony Joseph revealed that the Devon-based side had sent a loan proposal to Celtic, but developments in their pursuit after this were few and far between, which was frustrating as the team struggled defensively.

However, it's now been revealed by Joseph that the deal is officially off, after Argyle added two central defenders to their squad earlier this week, with the additions of Alex Mitchell and Mathias Ross.

The journalist also stated the reason as to why the move to PL2 never happened for Welsh, and Celtic only have themselves to blame for failing to secure a move away for the 25-year-old.

The reason for Stephen Welsh's failed Plymouth Argyle move revealed

Welsh has found himself on the fringes of the Celtic squad in recent years, which saw him loaned out to Belgian side KV Mechelen last season, but no permanent deal could be agreed.

The 25-year-old seemed to be set for another loan move away from Celtic Park this term, with Plymouth offering a temporary switch to the English third tier, which has unfortunately fallen through.

After initially lodging a simple loan, Tom Cleverley's side improved their offer with an option to buy, but his parent club took their time in deciding whether they would allow the defender to depart.

During this time, Joseph revealed that the Pilgrims would pursue other defensive targets whilst they waited, and that came to fruition after the additions of Mitchell and Ross earlier in the week.

However, in a new update from the Sky Sports reporter, he revealed that Celtic had given the green light for Welsh to join Plymouth this week, but it came too late as the Devon outfit had already moved on to other targets.

The addition of their new defensive duo has officially ended Argyle's pursuit of the 25-year-old, and the Hoops have nobody to blame but themselves for taking too long mulling over the deal.

Plymouth Argyle will be frustrated with Celtic for stalling on Stephen Welsh deal

Whilst the Scottish giants had been mulling over if they should give permission for Welsh to leave the club, Plymouth have been suffering on the pitch with poor results and defensive problems.

The Greens have lost all four of their opening League One matches, with criticism rife of the Argyle back line, and how sloppy the goals they've conceded in recent weeks have been.

Whilst one signing wouldn't have been the key to solving Plymouth's woes, adding a bit of extra steel to a shaky defence earlier on could've helped prevent some of the problems the unit endured in the opening weeks of the season.

With Celtic taking a long time to respond to Argyle's proposal for Welsh, Cleverley's side will likely be hugely frustrated at the hold-up that this caused for his transfer plans, and how it's likely impacted recent results.