Celtic are currently searching for their permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers, who resigned last month, but there have yet to be any reports that suggest that an appointment is close.
Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge at Parkhead, winning three of his four matches in the dugout, but it remains to be seen whether or not the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership will be his last outing.
Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen, Cardiff’s Brian Barry-Murphy, and Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy are among the managers who have been linked with the vacant job in Glasgow.
However, no deal has been agreed with any of those candidates at the time of writing, which is why it is unclear as to whether or not O’Neill will still be in the dugout after the international break.
Whilst there is plenty of speculation over who the next manager is going to be, and understandably so, there has also been speculation over what the club could do in the January transfer window.
One player who has recently been linked with a possible move to Parkhead is Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, but it is a move that may not make too much sense for the Hoops.
Why Celtic should avoid a deal for Andy Robertson
It was recently reported that the Scotland international is ‘open’ to the idea of putting pen to paper on a pre-contract agreement with Celtic in January, which would see him sign for the club on a free transfer next summer.
The left-footed star’s contract at Anfield expires at the end of the season, opening the door to a potential exit from Liverpool, and it appears as though a move to Parkhead could be on the cards.
At face value, signing a 31-year-old star who has won two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy, on top of delivering 68 assists in 314 games for the Reds, would be a phenomenal piece of business for the Hoops.
Robertson, who assisted 12 goals in the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign (Transfermarkt), is an attack-minded left-back who would bring quality, experience, and creativity at left-back.
However, Celtic already signed Kieran Tierney, who spent six years at Arsenal, to provide those three things when they brought him back to the club earlier this year on a free transfer.
xG
0.67
Top 10%
Goals
1
Top 20%
xA
1.48
Top 10%
Successful crosses
13
Top 10%
Chances created
13
Top 10%
Assists
2
Top 1%
Cross accuracy
52%
Top 1%
As you can see in the table above, the Scottish defender has been one of the best attack-minded full-backs in the Premiership so far this season, which shows that he has provided the expected creativity.
Tierney is three years younger than Robertson and signing another left-back who will want to play week-in-week-out and offer the same qualities may not be a logical move for the Hoops.
Meanwhile, though, the Scottish giants have been linked with another Premier League defender who would be a better signing than the Liverpool full-back.
Celtic offered chance to sign Premier League defender
According to 67HailHail, Celtic have been made aware of the potential availability of three Chelsea players ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
The report claims that Deivid Washington, Raheem Sterling, and Axel Disasi are all set to move on from Stamford Bridge for the second half of the season, as they do not feature in Enzo Maresca’s plans in London.
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67HailHail adds that there is nothing at this stage to suggest that the Hoops will definitely make a move for any of those three players, but the club have been offered the chance to swoop for the Chelsea outcasts.
Disasi is possibly the most intriguing name on the list because of the long-term injury that central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers recently sustained.
The £80k-per-week France international could come in as an even better signing than Robertson in January, if the Hoops decide to dip into the Premier League to make an addition to their defence.
Why Celtic should sign Axel Disasi
Carter-Vickers suffered an Achilles injury against Sturm Graz in the Europa League and is expected to be out of action for up to five months, which means that he may not return until March.
That has come as a big blow for the Hoops because he is the first-choice right-sided centre-back and it is has left Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, two left-footed players, as the first-choice pairing.
Whilst the Hoops have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the Premiership, Scales and Trusty struggled in the 3-1 loss to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, as the hosts created four ‘big chances’ and 2.73 xG.
Therefore, bringing in a right-footed centre-back with European experience in January could make a lot of sense for Celtic with Carter-Vickers’ injury situation, which is why Disasi could be an excellent signing.
Whilst the Hoops, for the aforementioned reasons, have little need to push the boat out for Robertson, who is reportedly on £160k-per-week, the Chelsea centre-back could be worth the wages to sign him on loan to fill a glaring hole.
Appearances
3
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.7
Ball recoveries per game
3.7
Dribbled past per game
0.3x
Ground duel success rate
55%
Aerial duel success rate
80%
Error led to shot, goal, or penalty
0
As you can see in the table above, Disasi put in a few dominant performances in the Champions League for Aston Villa on loan in the second half of last season, showing that he can compete at the top level in Europe.
The 27-year-old star also made 13 appearances in the Premier League, per Sofascore, and won 62% of his aerial duels, whilst completing 90% of his attempted passes, featuring at both right-back and centre-back.
Disasi, who was described as a “complete” and “dominant” defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also put in a performance against Manchester City last year that was heralded as the best Jamie Carragher had seen that campaign, which is further evidence of his potential to deliver high-quality performances at the top level.
The right-footed star, therefore, could be an excellent signing to fill the hole created by the injury to Carter-Vickers because the Chelsea outcast is a Premier League and Champions League-proven defender, who should be in the prime years of his career at the age of 27.
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For whatever reason, possibly due to the volume of players signed by the Blues, Disasi has become available to the Hoops in January and they should take advantage of that, because he would be an even better signing than Robertson, based on the team’s current needs.