Celtic look to be setting up an unofficial partnership with Admira Wacker with Tobi Oluwayemi and Matthew Anderson reported to be close to signing loan deals with the Austrian side.
There has been reports in recent months that the Austrian side were looking to set up a partnership with a Champions League club with Celtic in need of finding a competitive level to give younger players experience.
Oluwayemi and Anderson, a goalkeeper and left back have been regulars in the B side playing in the Lowland League over the last two seasons with the Austrian Second Division a clear upgrade from regular fixtures against Cumbernauld Colts and Caledonian Braves.
Rather than taking on loan moves to other Scottish sides it looks like a decisive move to send players to Austria with the Daily Record reporting:
Celtic youngsters Toby Oluwayemi and Matthew Anderson are set to join Admira Wacker on loan.
The young keeper and left-back travelled to Austria today to finalise their season-long loans.
Oluwayemi and Anderson will move to the Austrian second tier to get vital first-team experience.
The pair both played regularly in the Celtic B team and they feel this is the next stage in their development.
Celtic formed a partnership with Admira earlier this year.
The nine times Austrian champions hope that their link up with Celtic will help both parties.
It can help them win promotion back to the Australian Bundesliga but also give some of Celtic’s young emerging talent some overseas exposure.
There has been no formal announcement of the partnership with no previous connection between Celtic and Admira who were relegated from the top flight last season.
Oluwayemi has represented England at u-16, u-17 and u-18 level but cut short a loan spell with Cork City earlier this year and joined up with the Celtic first team squad in Portugal.
Ross Doohan and Conor Hazard both suffered for their lack of first team experience but getting games under his belt in Austria can only help the development of Oluwayemi who joined Celtic from the Spurs Academy.
Anderson captained the Celtic B team for much of last season but with Greg Taylor, Alexandro Bernabei and Liam Scales ahead of him for a place at left-back the move to Austria can only help his development.
In the past Celtic have had short lived partnerships with Oostende and Ujpest Dozsa without getting any real playing benefits.
If Oluwayemi and Anderson develop as anticipated it should open the door for other players to move to Austria while giving Celtic a closer look at any emerging talent in the Austrian leagues.
For the third season running Celtic B are playing in the Lowland League which is effectively the joint fifth tier of the Scottish game.
Attempts to get a team introduced to the SPFL has been met with resistance while the halfway house of creating a fifth tie Conference League never made it as far as getting voted on at the AGM of the SFA.
On Tuesday night the B team take on Caledonian Braves in the Lowland League with the u-19 side having the UEFA Youth League to look forward to in the autumn, last season Anderson and Oluwayemi were eligible to play at that level but this time around they are too old.
Ben Summers, Rocco Vata, Daniel Kelly and Ben McPherson were involved in the first team matches in Japan with big decisions due to be made on their futures.
Regular first team involvement looks unlikely which leaves the coaching staff to decide on whether they should combine playing in the Lowland League with the UEFA Youth League or get a well placed loan in the Championship which will test them and accelerate development.
