Celtic have been in dire need of a new defensive line all summer, make no mistake.
Kris Ajer’s departure to Brentford for £13.5million gave Ange Postecoglou the funds needed to reinvest in his team – despite the Norwegian’s brilliance – and with the money from Jeremie Frimpong’s £11m move to Bayer Leverkusen back in January not being spent thus far, it was hoped the majority of the cash would be splashed on the defence as Celtic looked to regain the Scottish Premier League title after last season’s blip.
However, having only bought Carl Starfelt in that area so far, Hoops’ fans were given much reason to fret over the initially abhorrent defensive showings in the opening knockings of the Aussie’s tenure.
Starfelt’s performances haven’t done much to show Celtic fans that he is a suitable Ajer replacement, with Stephen Welsh guiding the Sweden international through the majority of his games.
And with Nir Bitton being proved as an awful backup, Christopher Jullien’s long term injury and Dane Murray’s inexperience despite his potential, there is still cause for concern at the back for the Bhoys’.
However, that all looks set to change with the signing of Irishman Liam Scales from Dublin outfit Shamrock Rovers soon to be completed, according to reports.
As per the Scotsman, the 23-year-old is set to join Paradise at the end of the week, following Shamrock’s European tie in the Baltic country of Estonia tonight. Adapt at playing across the back line, Scales has been lauded as one of the country’s most promising players, with interest shown in the Premier League following his stellar performances in the League of Ireland.
Liam Scales to Celtic from Shamrock Rovers is pretty far down the line. Left-footed centre-back, 6ft 3in, age 23, also plays left-back. Expected to play for Rovers in Estonia tonight against Flora Tallinn. Celtic deal worth over £500,000 should go through in the next few days.
— Barry Anderson (@BarryAnderson_) August 19, 2021
Presumably joining up with the first team squad, his depth will provide much needed cover to Welsh and Starfelt – I suppose Celtic fans don’t even mind who signs as long as Bitton never has to play at centre-half again.
