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Fullname: Luis Enrique Palma Oseguera
aka: Luis Palma
Born: 17 January 2000
Birthplace: La Ceiba, Honduras
Signed: 30 August 2023 (est £3.5m from Aris FC)
Left: –
Position: Midfielder, Winger
Debut: Celtic 3-0 Dundee, SP, 16 Sep 2023
Squad No.: 7
Internationals: Honduras
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
Luis Palma arrived at Celtic as a hoped for exciting talent with a bit of Latin flair. With the departure of the highly popular Jota to the profligate Saudi League, Palma arrived at Celtic withe some big boots to fill. Having been given a vote of confidence and a good word by the also ever popular ex-Celt Izaguirre, Palma knew he had made the right move. Reportedly, he was rejected by Sevco who also had considered him, but it was Celtic that he made his home.
From the off, he had pace and drive, and good control on ball. A small man but still had a physical physique, he was unafraid to take on players to then make crosses or passes for assists. A good shot too for some great long range goals. Initially he helped improve Celtic’s perennially woeful record at set pieces (corner and penalties) which was a relief.
He was on form in his first half of the season clearly the only transfer that had succeeded with some fine goals and stepping up to take penalties. However, he missed two penalties v Ross County (1-0 win in Jan 2024) which frustrated everyone.
His contribution thereafter started to decline from around the end of the first half of the season. Granted this coincided with the decline in form of the entire side, but he never fully returned to his better form. Some opined that defences had figured him out, but he was not adapting.
In the first half of the season he scored around 7 goals, but only three thereafter. Possibly, for himself the second goal v Atletico Madrid in the Champions League was his highlight. However, a moment of stupidity meant he was suspended for a following match v Lazio game after his second booking of the competition, after his first booking was for celebrating a goal that was chopped off by VAR.
He later had the honour to score near the death of the match to seal the final league win of the league title winning season in a 3-2 win v St Mirren (May 2024).
When Brendan Rodgers came out late in the season praising the aged James Forrest as the best winger at the club it was a thinly veiled dig at certain people (not just Palma but also the recruitment team). As Celtic went on to win the league and Scottish Cup double, Palma had been relegated to a squad role than a first team regular.
However, Palma still had a lot to be proud of, as his contribution overall was excellent & important, being the third highest scorer during the season with the second highest number of assists.
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Quotes
“My agent told me there was contact with Rangers but when I knew of Celtic’s interest, I was only decided on one team & I wanted to come here.”
Luis Palma (Aug 2023)
“I thank the club’s fans, they are the best fans I have ever had in my clubs. I feel blessed, I hope to God I can continue.”
Luis Palma (Nov 2023)
“The support the fans give us is incredible and they are the best, without a doubt!”
Luis Palma (Nov 2023)
[…]
Playing Career
[Table to indicate clubs played for, including dates, transfers and fees where known [e.g. soccerbase table]]
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| Goals |
Honours with Celtic
(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Scottish League
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Scottish Cup
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Scottish League Cup
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Articles
Luis Palma – FC Aris’ multi-faceted attacking conduit
October 12, 2022
https://www.leftbackfootball.com/home/2022/10/7/luis-palma-fc-aris-multi-faceted-attacking-conduit
Luis Enrique Palma Oseguera or better known as simply, Luis Palma owes a lot to his parents Enrique Arturo Palma and Maria Luisa Oseguera in raising and supporting him in his endeavours. He is one of Honduras’ leading players as he has embarked on a journey to Europe, making his debut in his late teens. As from the ages of 10 to 13, he sold chickens and vegetables alongside his father from their car-boot in the neighbourhood of La Ceiba while they would also travel outside the city to sell their products. His parents instilled in him, the benefits of hard work as he is such a staple of his community that when he returns to his neighbourhood, he is not treated as a celebrity. As a national player whose stock is on the rise in European football, it will not be long before the world outside Greece and Honduras begins to take notice of Luis Palma.
The 22-year-old played for Honduran club, CDS Vida at youth level as he won a National Championship at Reserve Level as he would move to the first-team, scoring on his debut against Honduras Progreso. The Honduran then moved to the United States of America with Real Monarchs where he played 13 games and scored 1 goal before returning to Vida and eventually moving to Aris. In Honduras, he had a distinguished career, winning Player of the Year, Best Goal and Best Young Player honours with 70 games and 23 goals for Vida. At Aris, he has played under multiple Head Coaches, becoming a crucial player under each coach while his time under German Burgos allowed him to gain constant minutes with him being one of the more crucial players on the team. Dynamo Kyiv approached Aris with an offer on the final day of the last transfer window as a move could not be agreed as Palma is fully focused on Aris.
The man more affectionately known as ‘Bicho’ due to his perceived resemblance to Cristiano Ronaldo started the season well under Burgos before being relegated to the bench under Raul Caneda as he has returned to the starting lineup at the early stages of Alan Pardew’s tenure. Palma can operate in a variety of attacking roles as he can drop in between the lines to receive possession, connecting play in between the lines before playing searching through balls in between the lines to create opportunities. On the flank, he has a terrific blend of size and close control to evade markers while he can lob accurate and well angled crosses into the box as he is an attacking conduit who can also create opportunities. He has operated as a second striker with the freedom to drop in between the lines or into the deeper positions to receive possession as he can swivel and play line-breaking passes forward while he constantly made bursts into the wide areas to work connections and create opportunities. As a lone-striker, he will need to improve his movement in the box to get on the end of shooting opportunities as he may be more suited to an inverted wide attacking role.
Away to Panetolikos, he dropped deep to receive possession in between the lines to swivel and lob a pass to Andre Gray making a run in behind as the English striker could not evade a marker to generate a goalscoring opportunity for himself. The 22-year-old was pivotal in build-up play as he dropped in between the lines to receive possession, using his power to shield the ball and connect play as he occupied the eight space in a build-up interchange, using intelligent blind-sided movement to move into a pocket of space as he allowed the ball to roll across his body as if he swivelled and continued his run into the centre, he could have drove forward and had a shooting opportunity at goal but he decided to cut-back and work a one-two with a teammate to drive forward and attempt an errant shot at goal. The Honduran received possession in between the lines once more, contorting his body to play the ball in between the lines but the pass back to him was errant.
He had a shooting opportunity when he received possession at the top of the box, driving a shot at goal which was saved before the 22-year-old utilized his combination play to score a goal. He dropped into the ten space to receive possession in between the lines to lay-off, making a blind-sided movement into space to receive possession once more, skipping past a marker as a teammate made a run to drag a marker out of position for Palma to drive a shot past the goalkeeper at the near post. Palma is astute in the defensive phase as well, dropping back to win an interception, playing a flick-on for a teammate to have a shot saved. He was pivotal in the build-up phase once more, receiving possession to drop deep, working passing interchanges with the centre-back to move to create a three-chain, operating as a wide centre-back on the left before laying off to the centre and back and moving forward to take up a position in between the lines, receiving possession to play a one-touch pass for a teammate to drive into the opposition box.
Palma’s passing range is impeccable as he received possession on the right flank to switch possession to the left as he received possession on the same flank, switching possession to the left in sequence that led to the creation of an opportunity. At home to Levadiakos, he facilitated transition once more, receiving a lay-off, from the nine-space, in between the lines as he used his size and a turn of pace to weave past three defenders, striding forward and bouncing off a sliding tackle before steadying himself to work a pass into the box for a teammate who crossed into the box as the striker was unable to get a shot away. Palma orchestrated another transition in between the lines as he dropped into the eight space to receive possession from his centre-back as he turned to work a connection with his overlapping left-back before playing a back-pass to the six-space and moving in between the lines. The ball would move to the opposite flank with Palma dropping into space to receive possession, threading a through ball for a runner on the flank to cut-back a cross into the six-yard area that the striker was unable to score from.
In a counter-attacking situation, he received possession to drive past a sliding player before earning a foul in the opposition half. In the attacking phase, he received possession in between the lines in a tight space, poking a pass to a teammate with the outside of his boot as he made a run into the channels and did not receive the ball. Palma then had a pre-assist, receiving possession in the left half-space, switching the ball to the right flank for a one-touch pass into the centre for an attacker to weave into the box and apply the finish. He was involved in the creation of another opportunity, this time in leading the pressing phase, pushing up from the deeper areas to close down an opposition deeper-lying midfielder before pushing up to close down a centre-back as he forced a back-pass to the goalkeeper, continuing to press in closing down the goalkeeper, making an interception on a pass that led to a shot at goal from range. The attacker eventually notched an assist, receiving possession on the left flank, to work a one-touch pass to a teammate in the half-space as he made a run into the wide zone, skipping past a defender to drive inside to loft a perfectly arced switch ball to Gray who lashed a strike home. The 22-year-old received possession on the left flank once more to lay-off.
He was limited to substitute appearances during Caneda’s two-game tenure as the 22-year-old came off the bench to score against Olympiakos while at home to PAOK, he received possession on the right flank after making a run into the channels to loft a cross into the box which landed on the forehead of a teammate to head over. Under Pardew, he regained his starting position away to Volos, being deployed as a lone-striker. In the early stages of the game, he made a run to the near post for a cross that was blocked, showing an ability to get goal side of his defender while having the power to hold him off. In an attacking sequence, Palma moved to the left flank to find a pocket of space as a pass to him was blocked and his team shifted the ball to the opposite flank where the Honduran made a run into the six-yard box to receive a cross, making a movement towards the penalty area to receive a cut-back before moving closer to goal to get on the end of a rebound. Palma then moved into the wide areas to lob another cross into the box which was deflected for a blocked shot.
Palma led a pressing situation to force an errant pass for a turnover as he received a lobbed pass into the nine-space, taking a brilliant first touch to lay-off for a teammate before making a run into the channels to receive possession playing a low cross into the box that was blocked. The 22-year-old received another long pass in between the lines, taking a touch to attempt a through ball into the channels which was intercepted. The attacker dropped deep to receive possession, working a pass into the wide areas to move into a pocket of space in between the lines before making a run into the box as he faked a run to the near post to back into a pocket of space to evade a marker as a delivery went just over his head as Palma generated a clear-cut opportunity for himself. Palma had another opportunity, this time from a set-piece, lobbing a free-kick over the wall and just over the bar as he dropped deep once again, receiving possession in between the lines to play a one-touch pass to a teammate before moving in between the lines to receive possession. His penchant for intelligent combination plays and movement in between the lines is not only a transitional tool but a formula for creating opportunities for himself and teammates. Palma received possession in the right half-space to play another one-touch pass to a teammate in the channels as he facilitated another attacking transition.
Palma has 2 goals this season from a 1.13 expected goals number which ranks in the top 25 for expected goals in Greece with the 6th lowest number of minutes as he has 1 assist from a 0.77 assist number. In terms of expected goals and expected assists per 90, he ranks in the top 15 in Greece with a 0.55 number as one of two players under the age of 25 in the top 30. For shots, he ranks in the top 15, ranking number 5 in shots per game as in a small sample size of 11 shots, 64% of his shots come from outside the box while 50% of his shots come from sequences in play. He ranks in the top 15 in through passes, ranking 7th in through passes per game with a 62% accuracy in a small sample size while he also ranks in the top 30 in key passes per game. He ranks in the top 30 in deep completions while being in the top 20 in deep completions per 90 minutes.
Palma is an intriguing player capable of playing in a variety of attacking positions, on the left and the right flank as well as in the central spaces as a second-striker or in more of a false-nine role. His size, ability to receive possession in between the lines and intelligence for one-touch pass and move interchanges make him a player capable of orchestrating transitional sequences to facilitate the creation of opportunities for teammates and himself. When receiving possession in between the lines, he could be more forceful in receiving possession, spinning out of challenges and using his turn of pace to drive forward and have shots on goal. He will need to improve his scanning and knowledge of when to asses an opportunity to turn or work a passing combination as in some situations, the spaces are available for the former. He will need to utilize his movement in the box to get on the end of higher quality opportunities as in some of his creative sequences as there is the potential for this.
In some of his creative sequences, the element of luck has not been in his favour as he has played immaculate through balls for teammates, but the finish has been lacking as he is a talent due to his progressive passing in between the lines and in the final third. From a defensive standpoint, he is astute at pressing the ball and forcing turnovers as well as applying pressure on the ball in counter-pressing situations to regain possession and drive the ball forward to create an opportunity with immediacy. Palma is a player with a multi-faceted playing style as he can operate as a build-up conduit, creator in the final third while he has the potential to grow into a goal scorer. Being deployed as a second-striker is the best position for him as he does not have to shoulder the goalscoring burden while having the ability to drop deep, receive possession and allow teammates to make runs off him. As a wide attacker, he is a very good crosser while he can cut inside to generate shots for himself, tuck into the half-space to work connections and make runs into the channels to receive possession. He could develop into a striker in the right system at the latter stages of his career.
Palma currently has a contract that last until 2026 but with the managerial changes, his value could either skyrocket or fall at Aris, meaning that he could become a bargain at some point. The best club for him at the moment could be Vincent Kompany’s Burnley with their fluidity in the nine-space and how deep Jay Rodriguez drops to receive the ball as he could operate as the striker in that system or in the wide areas. Palma would be a good acquisition for an English Championship side looking for promotion as teams like Sunderland, Norwich, Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn Rovers and Swansea. Brighton and Hove Albion could sign him and loan him to Union-Saint Gilloise as a long-term replacement for Danny Welbeck while Palma would also suit the demands of Brentford’s system. Serie A would also be a league that suits his skillset as Udinese, Torino, Verona, Bologna, Empoli and Spezia would also be good teams for him. In France, teams like Montpellier, Lorient, RC Lens, Toulouse, Reims and Brest would also be good moves for him. In La Liga, Elche, Cadiz, Girona, Mallorca, Valencia and Getafe would also be good fits for him. With more game-time, Palma could develop into a sought-after player in the European market by next summer.
New Celtic signing Luis Palma opens up on family life, selling fruit and vegetables and what Emilio Izaguirre said to him
The flash earrings and expensive haircut belie the humblest of backgrounds for Luis Palma. Born into modest surroundings in the Honduran port of La Ceiba, Celtic’s £3.5m recruit was taught the value of hard work from an early age.
By Graeme Macpherson
Published 2nd Sep 2023, 07:45 BST
Football was always the dream but those life lessons have served the 23 year-old well on a journey that has taken him from Central to North America and then to Greece and now Glasgow where on Sunday he is expected to make his debut in the derby with Rangers. Family was important then to Palma and remains so now. Their visit to Scotland planned for the festive period has now been expedited to take in Champions League action against either Feyenoord, Atletico or Lazio and Palma is grateful for everything his parents have done for him.
“I am very happy to be at Celtic,” he says. “It has been quite the journey to get here. I first started kicking a ball when I was five years old and then progressed to youth teams and eventually to the senior team. I also worked with my parents from the age of 10. We sold fruit and vegetables. I am very proud of the life I had with them. It helped me on my journey. We had to make a lot of sacrifices. It will be emotional and exciting for my family for me to be here. When I first signed they were so excited. I’ve had my childhood friends contact me and they are very happy as well. The play was for my family to come over for Christmas – but they are going to bring it forward for the Champions League.”
Palma’s youthful demeanour hides a welter of football experience that includes 18 months of top-flight Greek football, appearances in the UEFA Conference League and 10 caps for his national team. Last year’s friendly with a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina remains his highlight but he believes even that will be surpassed by events at Ibrox this weekend. “Playing for Celtic in the derby would be the biggest match of my career,” he adds. “Even bigger than playing against Messi? Of course! I played against him for Honduras in Miami in front of a big crowd. He is an amazing player and that was a big moment. It was an incredible experience and this will be another one. If I am chosen then of course I am ready. I know the importance of the match – and the importance for Celtic to get the win.”
There was a chance that Palma could have been lining up in blue rather than green-and-white but joked that Honduran and Celtic icon, Emilio Izaguirre, would never have allowed it. “As soon as I was notified about Celtic’s interest I was sure there was only one team for me,” he insists. “When I heard about Celtic I then spoke to Emilio and heard about his connection with the club and it was an easy decision. He would not have let me go anywhere else!”
“I’m aware that I’m not at the level that I would like due many circumstances,” Luis Palma
By Editor – 22nd Apr 2024, 07:16pm
Luis Palma has been somewhat of an enigma since he joined Celtic last summer from Aris in Greece. The Honduran winger has chipped in with a fair amount of goals and assists this campaign but has never really threatened to make that left-wing role his own and when both he and Daizen Maeda are fit, it’s telling that most supporters would opt for the industrious Japanese star instead of Luis.
Palma’s tricks, flicks and frills
Technically sound and even daring at times, there are those that accuse the South American of being too individualistic and eager to inflate his image above the team. The tricks, flicks and frills that accompany his style of play can be entertaining, yet on a considerable amount of times, flatter to deceive when we are chasing a goal in the opponents final third.
Something hasn’t quite clicked
This season hasn’t been as smooth a transition as we would have liked when Brendan Rodgers came back up the road to Scottish football and Celtic Park. It’s been obvious from the performances that something hasn’t quite clicked and we may need another two transfer windows to correct what should have been a few tweaks here or there when Ange Postecoglou left last June.
Plagued by injuries
Injuries haven’t helped in this respect too and combined with the poor recruitment, it’s been a recipe for disaster at times. Luis has been unfortunate too that he has been plagued by injuries at times as well, and this all plays a factor in finding your rhythm at a football club – particularly when your a new signing. By his own admission, the player thinks he hasn’t been able to show his best qualities as of yet, but is hopeful that he can show the truest version of himself in the future at Celtic.
Luis Palma revealed on social media site Instagram after the match on Saturday:
“In my career I have had many high and lows but I have always been able to get up and I’m aware that I’m not at the level that I would like due many circumstances but I’m working day by day to reach that level that I know I can reach. Today was an extraordinary job. I’m very proud of this group. We’re going ahead. See you in the final. 25th May. Thanks to all the fans for that unconditional support,” Luis Palma