da pixbet： Celtic are finally closing in on the appointment of their long-term successor to Brendan Rodgers, after four matches with Martin O’Neill in interim charge of the team.
da lvbet： The Northern Irish boss resigned from his role at the club last month after a 3-1 defeat to Hearts, departing Parkhead for the second time after a stint that lasted just over two years.
Celtic’s next head coach will have to build on the success that the former Leicester boss achieved in his second spell in the dugout, with two Scottish Premiership titles and two domestic cup victories in his two full seasons.
The Daily Record reports that Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy is poised to come through the door as Rodgers’ replacement, and that they want to get a deal over the line before Friday.
He has been in discussions with the Scottish giants since last Friday and the Hoops will have to thrash out a compensation package with the MLS side once they have an agreement with the Frenchman.
Whilst there will be a focus on instant results and implementing his style of play as quickly as possible, there will also be one eye on the January transfer window and what the board can do to bolster his squad in the January transfer window.
The positions Celtic need to target in January
The most obvious position that Celtic need to target when the transfer window opens for business is a centre-forward, as they had to resort to signing Kelechi Iheanacho on a free transfer in the summer after they failed to land any other options before the deadline.
The Nigeria international is currently out of action with a hamstring injury, leaving Johnny Kenny leading the line, and the Hoops may look to bring in an experienced number nine ahead of the second half of the campaign.
A right-winger should also be one of the club’s priorities in January after right-sided attacker Nicolas Kuhn left in the summer and two left wingers, Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha, were brought in off the back of that.
Appearances
5
10
Goals
0
0
Big chances missed
2
1
Big chances created
1
1
Key passes per game
0.4
0.6
Assists
0
0
As you can see in the table above, Celtic’s two natural right wingers, Hyun-jun Yang and James Forrest, have both failed to deliver much in the way of quality in the Premiership this season.
On top of a striker and a right winger, a right-sided centre-back could be on the cards after Cameron Carter-Vickers suffered a long-term injury at the end of October.
Whilst a striker, a right winger, and a centre-back should all be priorities for January, the Hoops are also reportedly looking at a central midfielder with a view to a longer-term move.
Celtic have SPFL midfield star on their radar
According to 67HailHail, Celtic have Kilmarnock central midfielder David Watson on their radar ahead of a potential swoop to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
The 20-year-old star’s contract with the Premiership side is due to expire at the end of the season, which has thrown doubt around his future heading into the January window, as it may be Kilmarnock’s last chance to cash in on him.
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67HailHail reports, though, that the Hoops are not certain to make a move for him in the January transfer window, amid competition from league leaders Hearts.
The Premiership champions could, instead, wait until the end of the season to snap him up on a free transfer, rather than looking to pay a fee to land the midfield star six months early.
Whether a deal happens in January or next summer, Watson could be an excellent addition to the side as Nancy’s own version of Scott Brown in midfield.
Why Watson would be Nancy's own Brown for Celtic
Back in the summer of 2007, Celtic paid £4.4m to sign Scott Brown from Premiership rivals Hibernian, which was a record fee between two Scottish clubs at that time.
Watson, as his contract is due to expire next summer, would not arrive at Parkhead with any kind of record transfer fee, but he would be another talented and young Scottish central midfielder who could have an incredibly bright future in Glasgow.
Brown had 134 appearances for Hibernian at first-team level under his belt, per Transfermarkt, as a 21-year-old, whilst the Kilmarnock star has played 118 matches and does not turn 21 until February of this season.
The former Hibs ace, of course, went on to captain Celtic and make 618 appearances in all competitions, winning ten Premiership titles, as a combative midfield star, who also chipped in with 46 goals and 63 assists, per Transfermarkt.
Watson’s performances for Kilmarnock in the top-flight so far this season suggest that he can offer the same sort of box-to-box presence that Brown did during his time at Parkhead.
Goals
3
Top 8%
Assists
1
Top 41%
Successful dribbles
11
Top 6%
Fouls won
27
Top 3%
Tackles won
24
Top 12%
Duels won
72
Top 5%
Interceptions
13
Top 11%
Blocks
6
Top 1%
Described by Scottish scout and analyst Kai Watson as a “box-crashing, goalscoring midfielder that works hard on both ends”, it’s clear the 20-year-old excels offensively and defensively among his positional peers in the Premiership, which illustrates the kind of quality that he would bring to Celtic as a box-to-box midfielder.
Watson, who Kilmarnock commentator Andrew Milligan claimed has “no ceiling”, has shown the Hoops what he can do offensively, scoring against them in the clash between the two sides in September.
On top of his evident quality on the pitch as a Premiership midfielder, the Celtic target is also the current captain of Scotland’s U21s at international level, per Transfermarkt, which suggests that he has the potential to be a future Hoops captain, as he is viewed as a leader for that team.
Therefore, Watson could be Nancy’s own version of the Scott Brown signing from 2007, as he could come in next summer as another 21-year-old proven Premiership midfielder who could captain the club moving forward.
Nancy could turn "world-class" Celtic star into the new Matt O'Riley
Celtic have a “world-class” star who could explode under Wilfried Nancy at Parkhead.
ByDan Emery