Luca Connell


Luca John Connell is a professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic.
He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-17 to under-19 levels.

Career

Bolton Wanderers

Early years

Connell joined Bolton Wanderers at the age of nine. He joined the under-18s as a first-year scholar for the 2017–18 season, and was promoted to the under-23s for the 2018–19 campaign.

2018–19 season

On 5 January 2019, Connell made his competitive debut in a 5–2 win over Walsall in the FA Cup Third Round as an 89th minute substitute replacing Luke Murphy. Two weeks later, he was named as unused substitute in a 2–0 league defeat to West Bromwich Albion. On 25 January, Connell started his first senior game in a 2–1 defeat to Bristol City in the FA Cup Fourth Round and assisted Mark Beevers' goal. He was rewarded with a league debut four days later in a 1–1 draw against Reading. Connell's scholarship contract was extended for a further year on 21 May 2019.

Celtic

On 29 June 2019, Connell signed a four-year deal with Celtic for a fee of around £350,000.

International career

Connell is eligible to represent England and the Republic of Ireland.
In August 2017, Connell was invited to train with the Republic of Ireland under-17 squad. On 21 March 2018, Connell made his international debut at under-17 level in a 3–0 win against Macedonia. Three days later, he featured in a 2–0 victory against Georgia. In May 2018, Connell made two appearances in the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship group stages, playing in wins against Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He was called up to the under-18s for the first time in November 2018, and made his debut in a 2–1 win against Belgium. In the following days, Connell started in a 3–1 defeat to England and 1–0 win against the Netherlands. In March 2019, he was called up to the under-19s. Connell featured in victories against Romania, Azerbaijan and Russia as Ireland qualified for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.
In May 2019 he received his first call-up to the Irish senior national team. Connell's first trip with the Republic of Ireland squad ended prematurely though as he was forced to pull out of the squad with a thigh strain.

Career statistics

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