Add as preferred source on Google
Celtic brought Benjamin Arthur in on loan in February as a late-window addition that looked simple enough on the surface. Dundee’s Ash Hay lived with him when at Brentford and has now given a clear picture of the player, but what followed at Celtic did not match that early promise.
Arthur arrived at Celtic from Brentford with the kind of background the Hoops tend to look at when signing young prospects.
Still early in his development, Arthur arrived with potential but no guarantee of impact. Celtic signed Arthur to help plug a gap in the heart of the Hoops defence but the young Englishman was barely seen in his early days at the club.
Arthur’s lack of minutes made it difficult to see what this loan move was actually doing for the club, but Dundee’s Ash Hay has delivered some insight that gives Celtic fans a little look at the kind of person he is and why the Parkhead club signed him on loan.
Does Benjamin Arthur have enough quality to make an impact for Celtic?
Credit: Getty Images/Octavio Passos Ash Hay says Celtic have signed a ‘good player’ in Benjamin Arthur
Arthur came through a Brentford setup with Hay and the Dundee defender said ‘it was not a surprise’ to see his former flatmate get a move to the Scottish champions.
Hay told The Courier, “I was with Benjy at Brentford and we were flatmates down there, too. There were three of us in the flat, we’re good mates and Tony Yogane is close with him as well.
“He was pretty chilled as a flatmate, a good lad who is obsessed with the gym, you can see that from the shape he’s in.
“He was messy, though, very messy. He’d always be leaving wrappers and stuff lying around, so I felt like a dad sometimes tidying them away.
“It was three boys living together, we’d always argue about who was taking the bins out and stuff like that. All the normal things. It was enjoyable. I did all the cooking too, I wouldn’t trust him on a stove.
“I’m sure he’s improved since then. But it was no surprise he got a move like Celtic in January because he’s a very good player. He spoke to me before he came up, it was the last day of the window. It was a no-brainer for him to go to a club like that, somewhere he can learn a lot.”
How Benjamin Arthur is faring at Celtic now
Arthur has featured across seven matches, starting four of them and playing 286 minutes, which shows he is being used rather than ignored.
He completed full 90-minute appearances against Dundee United, Motherwell and Aberdeen, with his strongest display coming in that Aberdeen win with a rating of 8.0.
There are also signs of contribution, with three assists across that run and a consistent level of performance reflected in ratings around the 7 mark.
However, the pattern is not consistent enough to suggest he has secured a defined role within the side. Minutes have fluctuated, from full starts to brief appearances and matches where he was not used at all, which points to uncertainty rather than progression.
Right now, Arthur looks like a player Celtic have, not one they are using.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox