Celtic has shared the news that Anthony Ralston has committed to a new four-year agreement, ensuring his stay with the team until 2027.
Ralston, who has been with Celtic since he was eight years old as part of the Youth Academy, made his senior team debut in a league match against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in May 2016. Before this significant step, he gained experience through loan periods at Queen’s Park, Dundee United, and a season-long spell at St Johnstone in the 2019/20 season.
After rejoining the squad at Celtic Park, Ralston solidified his role during the 2021/22 season, accumulating 90 appearances and seven goals for the Hoops.
Speaking to the official Celtic website after signing his new deal, Anthony Ralston said: “I’m absolutely delighted, and it’s a great feeling to sign with your boyhood club on a new contract. It never gets old, that feeling of being able to put pen to paper to secure your future where you want to be.
“Essentially, this is where I want to play my football and it’s another proud moment in my career. I just put my head down every day and worked hard since I signed my last contract two years ago and it’s just been a case of going in, getting work done, doing my best for the team and helping to bring success. And I feel that, as a team, we’ve managed to do that, and within that players get their rewards, so like I say, I’m absolutely delighted to get it done.”
Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers, also weighed in: “I’m absolutely delighted for Anthony. He was a young player who showed a lot of promise when I was first here. He came into the team and played some good games, and obviously he really kicked on when Ange came in and had that early spell where he played quite a lot, and you could see him grow from that. So, for me and the squad, I’m absolutely delighted.
“He’s a Celtic guy who’s come through the system here and I just think that when you have guys like that in your squad, you always get that extra wee bit out of them. When I spoke to him a little while back, he’s so happy to commit himself to Celtic. He loves being here, he loves being a part of the club and he loves being here and ready to contribute, and I’m very happy he’s decided to sign on.”
The club has been very active on the contract front in recent months. Kyogo, Maeda, McGregor and Abada have all penned new long-term deals. Ralston now joins the list. It’s good to see the club not waiting for deals to enter the final 12-18 months before sitting down with players and their representatives,
