A look at five free agents from English football that Celtic could possibly target this Summer if circumstances merit any move that returning manager Brendan Rodgers may choose to make…
1. Nampalys Mendy
Mendy’s future is up in the air heading into the summer transfer window, with the Frenchman’s contract ended and officially released at the end of the 2022/23 season. It’s was a season to forget for Leicester City, and they failed in their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Foxes didn’t benefit from a change in fortunes since Dean Smith took charge of the club, and with relegation confirmed there will now be a mass exodus from the first-team playing squad, with seven players out of contract in the summer. Mendy is one of them and is now a free agent and could prove a useful addition to the Celtic squad under former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers. At the age of 31, he’ll still feel as though he’s got a point to prove at a high level and of course at Celtic he’d get the chance to play in the Champions League.
Joyeux anniversaire à Nampalys Mendy qui fête ses 31 ans aujourd’hui 🎊🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/hXCpZWfMRA
— 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗲́𝗻𝗲́𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗶𝘀 🇸🇳 (@JoueursSN) June 23, 2023
Seven professionals are among those confirmed to leave #lcfc upon the expiration of their contracts this June.
The Club extends its thanks to all seven players for their contributions during their time with us and wishes them every success in their careers.
— Leicester City (@LCFC) June 5, 2023
2. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain has previously been on the books with Liverpool, but is set to leave the Premier League club after becoming a free agent when his contract expired at the end the season. The central midfielder moved to Anfield from Arsenal back in 2017, but found regular game time hard to come by, and with injuries disrupting his minutes in the Liverpool team in recent years.
At the age of 29, he’ll still feel as though he has something to offer, and plenty will agree if he can stay clear of injury problems, then his experience could prove useful in the Celtic midfield. With Champions League experience under his belt with Liverpool, the former Southampton youngster could prove a worthy addition to the Bhoys as they venture on their European adventure next season. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will be well aware of the player’s situation but would have to move fast as Oxlade-Chamberlain could be in line for a big money move to Saudi Arabia, according to a report in today’s Daily Mail.
3. Lucas Joao
The Angolan international has spent the last eight years playing in English football with both Sheffield Wednesday and Reading. Joao has shown quality for both of those teams, but was strangely out of favour with former Reading boss Paul Ince, which many Reading supporters blame for their relegation into League One.
Joao played a key role for the Berkshire-based side in recent years, and without his goals, many felt as though they would have been relegated into the third-tier of English football a lot sooner than they did. He netted 22 goals, and was on hand to provide seven assists for his Reading team-mates in the 2020/21 season, and he’ll be keen to play at a higher level than what he has done in recent years, and move to Celtic could do just that.
Looking back to the Scottish Cup Final which completed yet another treble for Celtic, experts at MyBettingSites revealed that Celtic were priced as short as 1/7 on bet365 to win inside 90 minutes in this year’s final, against Inverness on Saturday 3rd June 2023. Below, you’ll can see the odds from other betting sites on Celtic to win the trophy inside 90 minutes earlier this month.
● Paddy Power @ 1/12
● William Hill @ 1/12
● Sky Bet @ 1/8
● Ladbrokes @ 1/8
● Coral @ 1/8
Odds displayed were correct as of 4:00 pm, Thursday 25th May 2023. Odds were as always subject to change.
4. Joel Veltman
Veltman has played his part for a Brighton & Hove Albion side that have caught many by surprise in this year’s Premier League campaign. Veltman has been with Brighton since 2020, in what was only the second club of his professional career, having spent 19 years with Dutch giants Ajax.
His experience and versatility at left-back and centre-back has been extremely useful for Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, which has resulted in Veltman making 34 appearances for the Seagulls this term. He’s 31, and is out of contract at the end of the 2022/23 season, although it remains to be seen as to whether he’ll be offered a new deal anytime soon, as Brighton prepare for Europa League football next term, after confirming their spot inside the top-six with a draw against Manchester City. All the noises seem to indicate the former Ajax defender staying at Brighton but if that fails to materialise there could be an opportunity for Celtic to look at the experienced player.
5. Aaron Cresswell
Cresswell has been with West Ham United since 2014, after moving to the Hammers from Ipswich Town. The left-back hasn’t looked back since that move to West Ham, and has gone on to make 330 appearances in total for the club. He’s played his part in their European Conference League journey this season, which has resulted in them facing off with Italian side Fiorentina in the final of the competition.
The full-back was out of contract at the end of the season though, and with his slightly reduced game time last term, it could see him looking for a new club if the Hammers decide not to offer him a new deal. At the age of 33, you would imagine that Cresswell will still feel as though he’s got something to offer at a high level, and a move to Celtic Park could present him with the ideal opportunity to do just that.
Maybe Mendy, the rest -your having a laugh. We have better at Celtic Park.
If Brendan’s serious about Europe and bringing success to his home here at Celtic then he should be hitting these players first he is a talented man with a vision he should only be attacking clubs with the hidden gems and make serious offers because end of the day Brendan has written his goals and attentions in stone now so why doesn’t he stop the rumor mill and secure key players that will do us well in Europe if Brendan means business then he knows what to expect from the fans he knows we don’t want to be hassled with rumor mills we only care about the players coming in
This is actually a quite insulting article, why would Celtic be interested in EPL cast offs, surely the days of getting some player on a free who’s looking to get an few extra quid in his pension fund are long gone.
There’s a reason these guys are not getting renewed contracts and to link them with Celtic is poor, you should retitle and rewrite some parts to link them with Sevco as they are looking to rebuild on frees.