It has been rather well documented over the last twelve hours that Bhoys’ starlet Jeremie Frimpong is moving to Bayer Leverkusen for an eight-figure sum. It really seems as though the entire world is collapsing around Celtic at the moment; players leaving in their dozens, major contract disputes with star man Odsonne Edouard and highly rated prospect Karamoko Dembele, and then you have the failure to capture The Ten and compete in the continental competitions to boot. Add all of this in, alongside Neil Lennon’s future and poor summer signings clouding them heavily, and it makes for grim reading.
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There isn’t time to sit and sulk though. Frimpong’s departure, as poorly timed as it is, brings £8 million into the club given Manchester City’s 30% sell-on clause, which is Celtic’s eighth record sale – and that’s AFTER you take into consideration the sell-on clause. Which poses the question; surely Celtic, who until this summer had an amazing track record of developing youth players and selling them on, can replicate this?
There are fewer and fewer bargains in the world of modern football as times go on, but with the recruitment team producing the bargains we know that Celtic CAN produce, it should be interesting to see who they recruit. Having found Frimpong for £350,000 just eighteen months ago, it shows there are players out there; and here we put forward three recommendations to replace him.
#1: Connor Roberts, Swansea City. Roberts has been a mainstay in the Swansea side ever since they fell short of Premier League survival in 2017-18. A previous Celtic target, Roberts has not only proved his worth in England’s second tier, but in the Welsh national side also, accumulating 22 caps for his country and scoring one goal – against Republic of Ireland – in the process.
Known for his energising runs down the flank in Steve Cooper’s attacking-led side, Roberts would be a ready made replacement for Frimpong; and with international experience already to boot, the 25-year old would be welcomed with open arms at Celtic Park. His contract expires next summer which means he may be able to make the move to Glasgow for a cut-price fee. Watch this space, perhaps?
#2: Jonjoe Kenny, Everton. Kenny has struggled for game time recently at Goodison Park, after enduring a renaissance of sorts when Marco Silva was manager of the Toffees. Kenny, who has made 35 league appearances for Everton since the start of the 2017-18 season, has struggled for minutes recently with the return of Seamus Coleman from injury and the immense form of summer signing Ben Godfrey in his position. However, he spent last season on loan at Schalke in the Bundesliga, amassing 31 appearances from a possible 34 in the league – and Die Knappen fans took an immediate liking to the Scouser, before his return to Merseyside.
Burnley have recently been linked with a move for Kenny given their upturn in riches following a takeover; however, having been priced out of a move at £10m, the Clarets’ are unlikely to make a move – paving the way for Celtic to potentially sign him. It would be a pricey move, but given his experience, it wouldn’t be too much of a risk – and at 23, he has his best years ahead of him.
#3: Kenny Lala, Strasbourg. This is the most rogue choice of the three, but if you are looking for someone with experienced, top-flight, attacking nous, then Kenny Lala would be a very attainable and cheap option. French players are not known to baulk at the prospect of living in Scotland in recent years; Odsonne Edouard, Olivier Ntcham, Moussa Dembele and most recently Christopher Jullien have all excelled to a degree in Glasgow in recent years, and there is no reason to say why Lala wouldn’t be the same. He has excelled in Ligue Un for the past four seasons, posting his best numbers in 2018-19 as he chipped in with five goals and nine assists as they won the Coupe de la Ligue; not bad for a side who finished 15th in the league the campaign before.
The biggest pulling power with Lala is his contract status; it runs out in the summer, and as we have entered the final six months of his deal, this allows Celtic to sign him on a pre-contract agreement. Despite having just turned 29, he still has a good few of years of quality left in him, and is Strasbourg’s designated set piece taker. As much as it pains me to say it, you can see how important having a full-back with a good delivery can be simply by looking at those across the city – James Tavernier has undoubted quality off the ball that unfortunately Jeremie, Taylor and Laxalt just do not have – and in a side that dominate the ball for extended spells, Lala would be the perfect addition to try and recoup some form of feel-good factor at Paradise.
Here is hoping.