Who is Callum James Osmand?

Ross H looks at the latest player to be linked with Celtic

Callum James Osmand is not a name that anyone expected to discuss this summer in regards to Celtic, but here we are, so let us discuss…

The 19-year-old England and current Welsh youth international striker joined Fulham at the age of 13 and signed pro terms for them in 2023. Over his time in the youth setup at Fulham, he has played as a striker. A fairly prolific one who has shown a good level of flexibility within his role. He has also had spells before this season where he would play as a 10.

I’ve taken some time to listen to various interviews that he has done, and my impressions of him are that he speaks with poise and is comfortable with the spotlight when he’s had it up until now. Some people might not think that matters, but if/when he signs for us, that is something he will need to be able to cope with from day one. He appears to have a good base in that regard, albeit I’m sure Glasgow will be levels above what he’s had up until now.

His form this season in EPL 2 has very much been a big part of why Fulham has done so well in the league this season. They finished 2nd in the league stage behind a very talented Man City team and ahead of an extremely good Chelsea team. EPL 2 then splits into an MLS style playoff phase after 20 games. Fulham were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by a Southampton team that has produced its fair share of talented young players over the years.

So, let’s take a wee look at his numbers from 24/25 that include EPL 2 and the Johnstons Paint Trophy (Data Provider: Wyscout).

There were other games Fulham played last season that have not been added to the Wyscout player profile, and those were in a competition that EPL 2 teams play called the International Cup (Scottish teams should take note):

Link: 2024–25 Premier League International Cup

Osmand scored 4 goals in this tournament, including a well-taken hat-trick in a 5-2 win vs Hertha Berlin and 1 goal and an assist in the 4-4 draw with Jong PSV.

Highlights Links:

I’ve sat through about 90 minutes of his footage over a few games and watched a few compilation videos of him, and my impressions are that for his level, he is very good and has lots of nice elements to his game, but there is also a lot of development work to be done. Much of it will be found when he is tested in senior games that really matter.

First off, his movement and work ethic are very good. His willingness and ability to press high up the pitch make him a nuisance for defenders. Not quite Daizen levels of peskiness, but he makes his presence felt when defenders are hoping to relax on the ball. That is outlined by his 76% success rate for attempted recoveries in the final third. He also plays well off the shoulder, and if the ball is moved fast enough, then he appears to have good timing, which in turn leads to great opportunities for 1vs1 situations.

His finishing is calm; he seems to like a nice side-footed effort with his right foot over a power shot, and again the data shows that he is hitting the target just under 50% of the time.

The thing I really like about him is his ability to accelerate and slow down before hitting the gas again whilst carrying the ball. In a lot of the footage I’ve seen, he will use that ability to change pace to beat his man or men in the final third and then get his shot off.

The idea of him being a 10 for us… personally, I don’t see that being much of an option for us. When he does it for Fulham at EPL 2 level, he’s often dropping off into nice spaces between the defence and midfield, but when you look at the number of players around him, it's maybe 3 or 4 defenders in a line and then a couple of midfielders. Unfortunately for us, that isn’t what we have to play against for large chunks of the season. If we don’t move at real speed, then the drop-off area leaves a striker looking at 2 walls of players. If he can find a way to do it vs those player heavy low blocks then it’ll be a real positive for us; it might take a little time and a few games, especially away at smaller grounds for him to figure that out, but again, the positive to take from it is that he has clearly worked on making his game more rounded and hasn’t just relied on being fed the ball in the box.

C. Osmand heat map and key metrics (Wyscout)

This shows the majority of his touches are in the penalty box and central areas. You can also see via the chart that he is in the top percentiles in EPL 2 for shots and goals per 90 minutes as well as being top of the pops per 90 minutes for long passes received and touches in the penalty box. Other areas of note are his key passes, shots on target and shot conversion. Lots of positives for those who want to focus on the data side of things.

Back to the eye test….

Something that he has that is a bit different, and I hope we don’t coach out of him, or any young player for that matter, is his way of being effective (sounds silly, doesn’t it?). I don’t mean just effective in hitting simple passes and playing safe; I mean making more passes with the outside of their feet, being more creative in finding routes and techniques to make passes. They use little scoop passes, or will use what some might refer to as a trick, but many of these guys are now so good that for them it’s not a trick; it’s just a solution to a problem that they’ve got down to a fine art through lots of practice. He has a little bit of that in him, which shows that he is making quick decisions and has a locker of skills that means he doesn’t just have to rely on 2 or 3 pass types, or playing a safe lateral or backwards pass. The best attackers today find solutions that average players think are just for video games or would never dare to try.

Concerns? Well, those are obvious. The step up in terms of technical skills isn’t huge, but it’s still a step up because the intensity is x100 when you go from having a few hundred folk watch you to 60,000 demanding you do the business every single time you get the ball. The pace will also be more frantic, and the physical elements will be tougher. He has a decent build for the level he is at, but aerially he doesn’t win much, positions himself well in the box and can score a header, but in terms of competing for a long ball in the swirling wind with his back to the goal, let’s just politely say he’s a work in progress.

The other part is how he settles in and copes with the pressure and how we use him; if he hits the ground running, then brilliant, but if it takes 6 months or a year, then that’s fine. The key thing with any signing, and even more so the signing of players like this, is that we have a plan for them, a support system that is educating them on what the demands are, and then supporting each player with good coaching as they try to reach and exceed those levels. We also need to avoid spending a lot of our time trying to change what he is; adding to his skillset is one thing, but asking him to focus on things he is not comfortable with or playing in a style he doesn’t see himself playing in is another.

It’s also important that we, as supporters, support the player… not jump on his back as soon as he misplaces a pass or if he has a few quieter games. Some people will be quick to say he’ll piss it up here, but we’ve seen plenty of players come up here with English fans and media telling us they’ll score 30 goals and win POTY, only to see them struggle. If he does that, amazing, but that shouldn’t be the expectation that we put upon him.

Overall, I like what I see. I like the impressions of him that I took from listening to his interviews, and I think he has talents that, in theory, should fit into our playstyle. He is 19, 20 in November, so now is really the time for him to be looking to start making marks in first-team football, and hopefully he will come in, get some decent game time, learn from the good players we have, embrace the challenge and become a successful player for us.

(I might be premature and this could be egg on face time if he doesn’t sign but…) Welcome to Celtic Callum, we all hope that you absolutely smash it.