ABERDEEN manager Derek McInnes has said that the Dons will need to sell striker Sam Cosgrove to maximise their value of the 23-year-old attacker. Speaking earlier in the week to the BBC, McInnes admitted that the £2m figure that Guingamp were willing to pay would be enough to prise the ex-Wigan player away from Pittodrie. Celtic should make a move to bring the Englishman to Celtic Park as concern over Leigh Griffiths’ future remains.
With 44 goals in 87 appearances from McInnes’ side, Cosgrove boasts an impressive record with 23 strikes coming last season. McInnes has said that the club will look at any offers should they come in.
“If it’s a strong offer, it has to be looked at in the circumstances. We’ve been pretty strong about the fact we won’t sell willy-nilly, but the overall package was substantial.
“And we know that this window and next is the best chance for us to maximise the potential of Sam because he’s got two seasons left of his deal.”
The Dons have already accepted a £2m offer from the French second division side but Cosgrove opted against a move. This decision to reject the move doesn’t mean that McInnes thinks this will be the end of the matter with a number offers likely as the summer progresses.
“I spoke to Sam and said it was a move he should take if it felt right and the finances were right.
“It was entirely his decision but I don’t think it was financially right for him or he thought that France was his next step. Some might say that’s a lack of ambition, but others might say it shows the confidence he has in himself.
“I think he’ll be on the radar of a lot of people and his name will have been discussed. I’m pretty sure we will be tested but it’s got to be right for everybody.”
Where do Celtic factor into this? Well with Leigh Griffiths’ career stalling after this latest fitness concerns, Neil Lennon could look to his rivals to bring another striker into the squad as Celtic look to compete on many fronts. Odsonne Edouard and Patryk Klimala have featured in pre-season already but with games coming thick and fast in August, Lennon may feel that he cannot rely on Bayo or Griffiths.
Celtic could get the striker for £2m and offer a season long loan deal for Bayo, giving the Ivorian striker the chance to get some game time with the Pittodrie side. For one reason or another, Bayo has been unable to make a breakthrough since joining the club. Injuries have hampered his progress with the 23-year-old currently on the sidelines with a knock. A run of games in the form of a loan to a team that enjoy a lot of possession could be the perfect answer.
A dubious red card in the Europa League curtailed the progress that he had made to get into Neil Lennon’s reckoning before an injury ruled him out until after the winter break. Bayo was signed in January 2019, meaning he has been at Celtic for over a year already, yet has managed just 16 appearances. In that time he has scored twice (4 time if we include those that were given as own goals but are disputable) in his 364 minutes of action.
A player like Bayo definitely runs on instincts and sharpness, he needs to be in game situations with big defenders challenging him for everything on a regular basis in order to showcase his talents. Cosgrove would give another option in attack, especially as Leigh Griffiths’ future appears up in the air.
In a 3-5-2, which Celtic could utilise whilst on domestic duty, Cosgrove could act as a second striker should Lennon decide to bin Griffiths, with Klimala acting as an option from the bench.
Celtic have previously been linked with £4.5m rated Israeli striker Shon Weissman but it appears unlikely that Celtic would commit to a fee of that size with the positions needing strengthened first – namely the GK role.
