Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

Boyata overall was good for us?

 

Do we get the players to walk up or something?

Get it * done and move on to the next one.

 

Lemmie see that Puseyyyy

 

post a link?, I'm curious about it.

 

Celtic are set to sign Manchester City centre-back Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on a season-long loan for 2025/26. So what can fans expect from the highly rated defender? We spoke to Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News to get the lowdown on Simpson-Pusey’s style, strengths, and how he might fit into Brendan Rodgers’ plans at the Scottish champions.





Simpson-Pusey has been part of Manchester City’s youth system since the age of eight, having made a cross-city switch from Manchester United’s academy. He rose steadily through the ranks, earning a place in the Elite Development Squad (EDS) before a first-team call-up under Pep Guardiola last year.

Now, with a handful of senior appearances under the Spaniard’s guidance, the England youth international will look to gain further first-team exposure under a similarly demanding manager in Rodgers.

"He is a very exciting prospect," Bajkowski told The Celtic Way. "He has come through City’s academy and developed in the style that the senior side play, as well as the style of defending that Guardiola requires his central defenders to have.

"He had a major breakthrough year last season that started with him getting into the first team and making his senior debut and then ended with him winning the Premier League 2 Player of the Year at U21 level.

“He is a very talented defender who has all the ball-playing skills that Guardiola wants but has also learned those serious defending traits that maybe his teams do not often get recognised for.




Breaking through at City
Simpson-Pusey’s 2024/25 campaign was something of an EDS and first team hybrid, with the defender featuring in six senior games, though most of his time on the park was spent with the U19s and U21s.

City’s domestic dominance in recent years made last season’s third-place finish, behind Arsenal and champions Liverpool, feel like a collapse by their own standards.

A mixture of bad form and injuries prompted Guardiola to look to the EDS in search of a centre-back option prior to the January transfer window, and Simpson-Pusey was called up, making his debut as a second-half substitute against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur.

“He was okay in that game,” recalls Bajkowski, on the centre-back’s 15-minute showing. “It was a decent performance from City, even though it was their first defeat of the season.

“In all honesty, nobody thought much about his appearance, other than that it was a decent cameo from Jahmai, as well as a curiosity to see where and when he would turn up next.”

A Champions League test in Lisbon
At Celtic, there is an expectancy when it comes to being a first-team player, even more so as a central defender. Domestically, being dominant at the back is a non-negotiable, while you also have to step up in European competition when called upon.

If and when Simpson-Pusey is asked to do similar in Rodgers’ side this season, it will not be a new experience for the 19-year-old.

Six days after his senior bow for City in the EFL Cup, he was handed his first start for the club against Sporting CP at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in the Champions League.

Though Guardiola’s off-form side were soundly beaten 4-1 by the home side, after conceding four second-half goals without reply, Bajkowski did not attribute any of the blame to Simpson-Pusey.

“I was fortunate enough to be at Sporting’s stadium for Ruben Amorim’s farewell game, and that atmosphere was certainly something,” he said.

“That was an atmosphere where it would have been very easy to wilt but he did not. So for that game to be his full debut was very impressive. It would have been very easy for him because he came into the City team when it was having the biggest crisis in 10 years, but it was an accomplished debut.”



Shortly after, however, he picked up an injury, then was sent back to the under-21s on his return, and that in itself is a bit of a setback that needed responding to. In response to this, the player went and claimed the Premier League 2 Player of the Season, which is a sign of someone who responds well in tough situations."

Bajkowski concludes on the defender's contribution last season, “I think this has been the year where Jahmai has made everyone remember his name, because he stuck around for long enough in the first team, which in itself is quite difficult to do at Man City, before further establishing himself for the last six months of the season for the U21s.

“I would like to think he can use the experiences gained last season at City during his loan spell in Scotland.”

The mental side of Simpson-Pusey
An important aspect of a player’s skillset, coupled with their capabilities on the pitch, is their personality and demeanour off of it.

In a footballing world where player references are increasingly important with regard to squad-building, the right fit is necessary for an individual to thrive at their new club.

Having interviewed Simpson-Pusey numerous times in recent years, Bajkowski believes the defender will fit perfectly into Celtic’s defensive backline due to his off-field persona.

“Jahmai is very calm and relaxed as an individual,” he said.

“I would say that he is focused, but he is not one to get carried away over things, both positively and negatively. Man City make a big point to their players about not being too up when you win, or too down when you lose.

“That is very much the feeling you get when you speak to Jahmai, that he is grounded and just knows to take things one game at a time.

Following a familiar path from Manchester to Glasgow
Celtic have had several Manchester City players on their books in the past decade, particularly on loan. While Daniel Arzani’s time at the club was blighted by injury, fellow winger Patrick Roberts was a revelation in Scotland.

City’s defensive offerings to their regular loan partners have been just as impactful. Jason Denayer and Dedryck Boyata each arrived from the Etihad side in 2014 and 2015. The Belgian defensive duo are commonly named as some of Celtic’s better defensive options in recent history.

Though there will be a level of expectation attached to Simpson-Pusey’s capabilities as a Celtic player, Bajkowski thinks this move could be the making of the centre-back as a senior footballer.

“Why not? There is every chance,” he said, when posed the question of whether he can emulate the success of Denayer and Boyata at the club.

“I do not think City would send Jahmai to Scotland if they did not think that he had real potential and could deal with everything that is thrown at you when you are playing for the club. The Celtic shirt is a heavy one, and there is a lot of pressure and expectatio





You are expected to win the league, and it is really competitive. Hopefully, Celtic have pitched themselves in that way because they see that in the player as well. I think there is a lot of exciting potential in the move.

“If Jahmai can do well, then it will seriously signal that he has got the makings for a terrific career at the highest level.

Bajkowski added: “It is drilled into every player from a very young age at Manchester City that trophies do matter, and you have to do everything you can to win every game. Because of this, he can hopefully thrive in Celtic’s environment, at whatever level they play at this season."

A defensive opportunity arises
Cameron Carter-Vickers is the current staple of the Celtic backline when fit and available. Last season, he was primarily joined by either Liam Scales or Auston Trusty, the latter signed by Celtic on Deadline Day for £5.5 million.

Though there were encouraging moments from both partnerships, certain performances suggested Celtic may still need defensive reinforcements this summer.

“Yes, I think so,” replied Bajkowski, when asked if the right-footed Simpson-Pusey can fit the bill at left-centre-back. “You always prefer a left-footer on the left, but it is not a deal-breaker if that is to be the case.

“He has played across the backline at City, not necessarily recently, but he has awareness of different positions. He will have been trained up on both his strengths and his weaknesses. He will be able to fit in to wherever he is needed at centre-back.”

With Celtic set to sign Simpson-Pusey in the coming days, there will be plenty of eyes on the Huddersfield-born defender, both north and south of the border.

For the interested parties based in Manchester, the general consensus is that City’s outgoing centre-back can progress his career in Glasgow.

“I think he has got a really good chance,” said Bajkowski.

“He had a terrific year last season, showing that he was too good for academy football, and showed himself to be pretty good during a difficult challenge in City’s first team. This could be a move that works well for all parties, because I think he has both the ability and character to be able to cope with everything you need at Celtic.

“If he can do that, then the opportunities for him in Scotland are huge.”

 

Don't like loan deals unless there's an option to buy, or it's 18 months.
Especialy as he's likely to become a first team starter. So either get his replcement in in Jauary, which we know we won't, or we'll be in the * again next summer

 

We do a favour for Man City by giving their top talents the chance to develop here and wear the hoops, then they do us a favour soon by sending a youngster here who's long term plan matches ours, thus we get another gem who's not so established but is still a wonderkid as far as we are concerned. That's an optimistic idea but things can more easily come to reality if you think like that and do some * a favour.

 

Imagine we’ll have this tied up within the month

 

He will pass his medical and then we will drag this along and announce him on the last day of the window.

 

Celtic already working on the video lad

 

That’s him passed his medical now

Open the the welcome thread back up @Mr Shelby

 

Has he been playing any friendlies for City or nowhere near match fit for the bench Sunday?

 

Actually I’m willing to sit this one out bud


But he’ll be announced today or just before the game on Sunday

 

Will it take a month to film though?

 

No bud

 

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is set to join Celtic on a season-long loan from Manchester City.

Brendan Rodgers has confirmed the Parkhead club will sign the defender on a temporary basis for the 2025/26 season.


It's thought the player is in Glasgow to undergo a medical before the switch to Scotland is made official.

Quizzed on a move for Simpson-Pusey, Rodgers said: "He's a very gifted young player.

"He has come through the system at Manchester City, his profile fits very much what we want from our centre halves.

He's quick, he's dominant, he's a good defender, and of course, at Celtic your centre-backs need to be able to progress the ball and that's a big strength of his.

"We've taken him on loan for a year. We always need all our centre-backs at Celtic. You play so many games, so many intense games and he will join our squad.


"He is obviously a little bit behind because he hasn't played so many games over the course of pre-season but we have brought him through for the rest of the season and hopefully we can close that one out today."