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Fullname: Joseph Alexander Thomson
aka: Joe Thomson, Joseph Thomson
Born: 14 Jan 1997
Birthplace: Paisley
Signed: 1 Jul 2014 (from Juniors)
Left: 16 June 2018 (freed, signed by Dunfermline)
Position: Midfielder
Debut: 2015-08-22: Dundee United 1-3 Celtic, SP
Squad No.: 52
Internationals: none
Biog
A product of the youth academy, Joe Thomson was a promising midfielder who had won praise in the youth ranks, and impressed Celtic staff to sign on for a two year contract. He’d actually started as a youth signing with Rangers before switching to Celtic U’12s.
Joe Thomson was born in Paisley and played for Gleniffer Thistle Boys Club before joining the Celtic Development squad in 2013. He signed a two-year contract with the Hoops in June this year.The 19-year-old is highly rated by Celtic and was a key part of the Development Squad that finished the SPFL Development League as undefeated title-winners last season. Described as a box-to-box midfielder, Thomson had been capped at all levels up to Under-19 level for Scotland.
He was said to be able to play across the midfield, with his attacking instincts bringing him a regular goal return, including strikes in the UEFA Youth League. He was highly rated.
He won a deserved place for the first team, in a friendly v Villareal in 2015, but his first senior competitive outing was at the start of the 2015-16 season with Celtic running out 3-1 victors over Dundee Utd in the league, just as Celtic were revving up for the start of the season.
He would still go on to score his first senior goal for the club during a mid-season friendly in the friendly Maspalomas International Cup, when, having come on as a substitute, he struck against Sparta Prague.
However, after the previously mentioned Dundee Utd match, the wheels came off at Celtic, crashing out of the European Cup to Malmo, and Ronnie Deila’s reign was beginning to fall part. This wasn’t going to help young players like Joe Thomson. As Celtic’s season began to falter, with genuine fears at one point that Aberdeen could topple Celtic to the title, youngsters were put in the shade. Ronnie Deila had actually an excellent record with young players in giving them a chance, and Thomson was named in the squads to face both Kilmarnock and Hamilton in the league but no more senior competitive games.
He was working making the effort:
“I just need to progress as a player and if I can work on the aspects that I know I need to improve on then hopefully I can make a real push. If not, maybe I need to go out and play some form of first-team football but that’s hopefully going to be here.”
He was loaned out to Dumbarton, Livingston and Queen of the South for experience. With Brendan Rodgers arriving at Celtic with (initially) less of an emphasis on playing youth and an incredibly over packed squad with midfielders, it wasn’t going to be easy for anyone. Celtic were on their way to back-to-back trebles, so the writing was on the wall for some of the youngsters back in the queue. There was actually a rich vein of young blood coming through at Celtic but not all could be accommodated, and some sadly had to be moved on for their own benefit.
On 16 June 2018, Thomson was freed by Celtic but was then signed for second tier side Dunfermline Athletic. Thomson was voted fans player of the year in his first season with Dunfermline Athletic. Sadly, he was to be one of seventeen released to help protect the future of the club, impacted heavily during the covid era.
We wished him the best.
Post-Celtic
He moved across the sea to Derry City and then Larne, and became a regular player for the sides. He won the FAI cup with Derry City too.
[….]
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2015-16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish League
Pictures
Articles
Joe Thomson commits future to Celtic
http://www.celticfc.net/news/10789
CELTIC is delighted to announce that Joe Thomson has signed a two year contract with the club, keeping him at the Scottish champions until 2018.The young Hoops midfielder made his competitive debut last season in the second-half of a 3-1 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice and had previously featured for the first-team in a string of friendlies over the course of the past two seasons.
The 19-year-old is highly rated by the club and was a key part of the Development Squad that finished the SPFL Development League as undefeated title-winners last season.Thomson started pre-season this year training with Brendan Rodgers’ first-team at Lennoxtown and told the official Celtic website in an exclusive interview that he was delighted to commit his immediate future to the Bhoys.“I was pleased to get offered the deal and I have to now keep my feet on the ground, keep focused and not get ahead of myself then just show people why I’ve been offered the deal and then kick-on,” he said.
“First and foremost I need to try to get the manager’s eye in training and take it from there. It remains to be seen if I need to go on loan or not to do that but I’ll just give 100 per cent in every session and game.
“I’ve trained with the first-team a couple of times before they went away for pre-season and the training seems very good. It’s a high intensity and everyone is working hard.
“Although I only played 15 minutes on my debut last season I learned a lot from it. It was a lot quicker than it was at Under-20s and even in the pre-season friendlies it was still a lot faster and a jump up but that’s one I want and need to make if I want to get anywhere myself.”
Thomson is the latest Academy graduate to pledge his future to the club and he added that he is hopeful Brendan Rodgers’ background in youth football will continue to see players like him be given the chance to shine at first-team level.
“The manager started out as a youth coach and worked his way up so he’s someone who knows what it’s like to work with younger players and he’ll give all of us good advice, feedback and tell us what we need to make it.
“Hopefully he’ll give myself and a few other lads a chance.
“I’m very thankful to Ronny Deila for giving me the chance to make not only my competitive debut but for giving me a chance in the pre-season friendlies but there is a new manager now and it’s a new start so I have to do well to try to impress him.
“I just need to progress as a player and if I can work on the aspects that I know I need to improve on then hopefully I can make a real push. If not, maybe I need to go out and play some form of first-team football but that’s hopefully going to be here.”
Scottish football’s next big thing: Celtic and Scotland midfielder Joe Thomson
The 19-year-old has been a mainstay in Tommy McIntyre’s young Hoops side, who have been crowned SPFL Development League Champions with six games to spare.
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ByDavid Brockett
14:36, 14 APR 2016Updated19:19, 29 APR 2016
The meteoric rise of Kieran Tierney to the Celtic first team has been well documented, but could Joe Thomson be next to make the breakthrough at Parkhead?
The midfielder has been a mainstay in Tommy McIntyre’s midfield this season, who have been crowned SPFL Development League Champions with six games to spare.
Scoring three goals in 21 appearances from the centre of midfield, Thomson has been influential in Celtic’s domestic and UEFA Youth League campaigns in recent seasons.
The Southside-based 19-year-old started his career with Glennifer Thistle before playing for arch rivals Rangers, and joined Celtic at U12 age group. He has also progressed through the ranks on the international scene, representing Scotland at every age group from U15s to U19s, where he has scored twice for his country.
Domestically, Thomson has shown his leadership qualities on many occasions, captaining the U17 side to Glasgow Cup glory against Rangers in 2014 in front of a Celtic Park crowd.
While lifting silverware for the youth sides has been impressive, the most important moment in Thomson’s fledgling career so far has been his first team debut against Dundee United back in August 2015. He replaced Tom Rogic as Celtic went on to win 3-1 away at Tannadice, his only first team appearance to date.
With an already saturated midfield following the arrival of Scott Allan, Ryan Christie and Patrick Roberts, Thomson may find the pathway to first-team football far more stifled than the aforementioned Tierney, who has replaced Emilio Izaguirre as Celtic’s first choice left-back.
Mostly deployed in a double pivot role in McIntyre’s favoured 4-2-3-1 system, Thomson’s work-rate and ability to dictate the tempo and pace of a match are two clear qualities.
Coached by club captain Scott Brown and having played alongside the likes of Allan, Charlie Mulgrew and Callum McGregor already this term, Thomson looks to have gained vital positional discipline and awareness from these first-team regulars.
Best described as a box-to-box player, Thomson appears to be best utilised as a sitting midfielder.
In this role, he has the scope and freedom to bring the ball out of defence and demonstrate his range of passing. While he has the ability to play in a more attacking position, Thomson’s real strengths lie in operating between the solid Celtic defence, who have conceded just 11 goals all season, and the attacking midfield trio behind the lone striker.
A midfielder of Thomson’s quality and ability may find it more useful to benefit from a loan spell away from Celtic, where first-team football will be easier to come by. This philosophy seems to have had a positive effect on the likes of Aidan Nesbitt and Eoghan O’Connell who are on loan at Partick Thistle and Cork City respectively.
They are just two of thirteen players out on loan from Celtic, suggesting that any youngster may struggle to cement a first team place.
With a deal expiring this summer and a new contract purported to have been offered, Thomson – a St Ninian’s project graduate, could be the next big thing to come out of Lennoxtown.