FLW writers assess the next steps in Callum O’Hare’s career post-Coventry – would a move to Rangers or Celtic be the best for the midfielder?
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Coventry City midfielder Callum O’Hare is out of contract this summer and is interesting Scottish giants, Rangers and Celtic.
With Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres departing earlier this year, O’Hare is now undoubtedly one of the biggest fan favourites left at the club, and his return to action in recent months was evidently much needed, and has coincided with a rise up the table and into play-off contention for Cov.
O’Hare has been involved in 27 of the last 30 games in all competitions for Coventry and appears to be a player now back to his best following a lengthy ACL injury last year. Although, however timely his return has been, his contract situation is less than ideal for the club. Other sides are bound to be interested in the playmaker when factoring his recent form into that as well.
With his contract currently expiring this summer, he can speak to foreign-based clubs now about a summer pre-contract agreement, including the two great Scottish rivals north of the border. O’Hare is attracting interest from a number of clubs, including Everton, Fulham and Southampton.
Others include Burnley, as well as Championship duo Leicester City and Southampton who were all said to have submitted offers for Coventry‘s star, according to a report from HITC. But it is Celtic and Rangers who have been linked most frequently with the midfielder.
| Callum O’Hare’s Coventry City career stats – as of 22/03/24* (all comps) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | League | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2023/24* | Championship | 27 | 9 | 4 |
| 2022/23 | Championship | 11 | 0 | 3 |
| 2021/22 | Championship | 47 | 5 | 8 |
| 2020/21 | Championship | 48 | 3 | 8 |
| 2019/20 | League One | 40 | 4 | 7 |
Callum O’Hare’s next career move
Without a promotion to the Premier League this season, Coventry have little chance of retaining O’Hare’s services now, with the race for promotion and the final spots in the play-offs not guaranteed without an exceptional end to the campaign for Mark Robins’ side.
Here, we ask our FLW writers their verdict on what should be his next career move, should he leave Coventry this summer. Could Celtic or Rangers be a good next step for the 25-year-old?
Adam Elliott
On his day, O’Hare is one of the most talented and exciting players the Championship has to offer in an attacking sense. His future, as of next season, needs to be in a top-flight league, and O’Hare will surely have Premier League ambitions this summer, be that with Coventry or someone else.
He’s coming into the prime years of his career as a player, and some may argue that would be wasted for either Celtic or Rangers. However, the opportunity to play for either of the most historic British clubs and compete yearly for silverware is not to be ignored for a player of O’Hare’s talents.
They are two of the biggest and most well-supported sides in the United Kingdom, and their passionate fanbases can easily captivate the imagination of a footballer. O’Hare has the ability to be one of the best players in the Scottish Premiership, and his driving runs from midfield and killer final third instincts could also make him a fan-favourite for either side.
Some may also argue it’s an easier career move to take, but regularly competing for trophies, titles, and in Europe each season – where Rangers, in particular, have enjoyed some success and deep runs in recent seasons – is surely tempting for a player like O’Hare. Especially when also considering how quickly a player can be loved and revered by Celtic or Rangers, with countless examples from English football moving to either side.
The issue is that taking a move like that may see him play out his best years in Scotland, rather than spending the peak of his footballing powers in the Premier League, which can springboard you to even greater heights if you impress for any club in the division, no matter what their ambitions are. Not only that, but the money is also in the Premier League, where they may be able to tempt O’Hare with an offer he simply cannot refuse for him and his family.
Ned Holmes
Callum O’Hare has the talent to take the Scottish Premiership by storm.
Given he came through at Aston Villa and made his name at Coventry City, the attacking midfielder likely has dreams of playing Premier League football and that may mean that an English top flight club is his preference were he to leave the Sky Blues this summer.
But depending what his options are, Celtic or Rangers could actually make a lot of sense as his next step.
O’Hare is likely to start regularly for both of the Old Firm clubs, something that cannot be said for some of the Premier League clubs linked with him, while he could post some massive numbers in the Scottish top flight and likely win plenty of silverware.
Celtic and Rangers are massive clubs and a creative spark like the Coventry star could well quickly become a favourite of their respective big, passionate fanbases.
And if the Premier League is indeed his dream, then causing a stir north of the border may be a good way to continue his development and secure himself a move to an even bigger top flight club.
You can understand why England’s top tier might be his first choice but joining Celtic or Rangers this summer could be a very exciting move.
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