The left side of Celtic’s defence both centrally and at full back is something Ange Postecoglou may well be looking at this transfer window given the limited options available.
Without natural left footer to play in the middle Carl Starfelt has been tasked with the role this season, meanwhile at left back Greg Taylor appears first choice. Unfortunately for Taylor a shoulder injury had kept him out the side for several weeks and without him, there have been three options utilised, but it must be said with limited success.
For now, the best performing of those appears to be summer signing Liam Scales, meanwhile Adam Montgomery looks to have a future at the club but seems somewhat short of first team readiness, and Boli Bolingoli is surely heading out the door when the first reasonable offer is received, as he appears simply to be a case of break glass in case of emergency.
One player who appears to be on Celtic’s radar if Derby County left back Lee Buchanan. The 20-year-old full back was heavily linked to Celtic last summer, and the Derby Telegraph is once again stating Celtic are one of a multitude of clubs considering the youngsters talents in this window.
Celtic of course have made successful cross border raids recently, however Jeremie Frimpong is the only one who has really bothered the first team. That said Buchanan is highly rated at Derby, has played 16 times this season and manager Wayne Rooney has been quoted that interest has resulted in bids, but not yet to the satisfaction of the club.
“There has been bids for players, I know that. Them bids have been turned away because they are absolutely ridiculous bids,” Rooney stated. “If I am being honest it is the equivalent of me walking into say a Ferrari garage with £10,000 in my pocket, you get turned away.
“If there are going to be any bids coming in for players, they have to be the value of the players and it has to be whether I am happy for the player to leave the club or not. That is where we are at. We are in administration, we know that, and we know there are vultures out there trying to take our players for peanuts, and that will certainly not happen.”
It is certainly fighting talk from Wayne Rooney, but the truth is his club don’t have a strong hand. Derby County are in administration and as if things weren’t bad enough the spectre of a Mike Ashley takeover hangs over them. Add to that Buchanan is out of contract in the summer and alongside ‘renewed interest’ from Celtic, West Ham, Watford both rivals Nottingham Forest and Cercle Brugge have also been named as interested parties.
It would easy to put this one down to Celtic’s name being put in the mix to push up a value for a cash strapped club, but the fact the article states there is ‘renewed interest’ from Celtic certainly indicates it may not simply be a re-hashing of our summer interest. Instead, this could be a player Celtic are keeping a close eye on and for an area of the pitch where, bar Greg Taylor, no-one has fully convinced they fully grasp Celtic’s method of playing. As such there is clear value for a player, who despite Wayne Rooney’s protestations could be picked up, and affordably so.
Niall J
And for those who missed this one on The Celtic Star, here’s a catch-up chance to check out the photographs given to this site by the former Celtic Director Tom Grant of the demolition of the old Celtic Park and in its place the emergence of the New Celtic Park which we know and love today. These photographs are fascinating and well worth checking out on the link below…
READ THIS…Exclusive – A Phoenix Rising, a House of Steel. Celtic Park Redevelopment Photographs
