With excitement building up surrounding the possible signing of Australian international Aaron Mooy, it is also worth remembering Ange Postecoglou hinted heavily that two signings may arrive at the club this week, as Paul Gillespie informed us in The Celtic Star just yesterday.
With Mooy looking like the midfielder Postecoglou was looking to target, and being just as adept in a No6 role as a No8, then perhaps the next one through the door could well be the ball playing Centre back this team is simply crying out for.
If that’s the case, then Celtic Underground @celticrumours may be onto something with their assertion that Chelsea’s Levi Colwill could be that man. With Celtic Underground – a site well connected within the club back in the day – stating when it comes securing the services of the left footed central defender – ‘hearing we are interested but stiff competition’.
Celtic will certainly face competition for Colwill’s services, and you can only assume a loan deal rather than an outright purchase would Celtic’s intention, after all the 19-year-old only signed a four-year contract with the West London club last summer, as such you’d assume the twice capped England Under-21 international can still harbour hopes of breaking into the first team reckoning at Stamford Bridge.
Colwill – who has yet to play a first team game for his parent club – spent last season on loan with Huddersfield in the English Championship, where he played 32 times, scoring twice. He can play as a left sided or right sided central defender and also played at left back on six occasions. Such versatility would certainly suit Celtic in an area of the pitch that perhaps is in more acute need of reinforcements than some others.
Yet inevitably Celtic will face competition. Southampton appear to be the strongest link so far with Leicester City and newly promoted also credited with an interest in the player. As such you could consider this a long-shot for Celtic, but if Chelsea are keen to offer European exposure to Colwill then Celtic’s participation in the Champions’ League Group stage could well be an incentive for Colwill to head north of the border.
As with Mooy, this would be no back up player or squad filler designed to merely strengthen domestic dominance, instead Colwill would be the type of talent who could come in and immediately compete for a starting spot, pressure those already in-situ and raise the levels within the squad, just what we need as we seek to make an impression in Europe as well as domestically.
Statistically Colwill’s strengths appear to be ball carrying and breaking opposition lines, something we’ve lacked somewhat sine the loss of Kris Ajer to Brentford. He also scores heavily on his in-game concentration and his dribbling ability from deep. His short passing game also appears to be a strength and he is dominant in duels both the air and in the tackle. It would appear then that his strengths marry well with what Celtic already have in terms of defensive options, but also offers attributes that at present we lack.
This would be an ambitious move from Celtic, if indeed there is anything in the connection between the player and club. But if it was one we could pull off, Levi Colwill could be just the sort of talent that could strengthen the Celtic defence greatly.
Niall J
I read earlier on an English site that Colwill said he would seek a move away from Chelsea if they brought in another defender. With Ruttiger and Christensen left the club, you would expect this to be the case, so it could very well be more than a rumour or loan deal. That said, with the other teams mentioned, a permanent deal could be out with our remit. Never seen the boy play, but you would think he had something about him with all the reports currently circulating about him. Time will tell…
HAIL HAIL
KEEP THE FAITH🍀🍀