Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers appears to be a busy man this month as the Northern Irishman attempts to bolster his playing team over the January transfer window.
According to a recent report by FootballScotland reporter Mark Hendry, the Hoops intend to bolster their roster by adding a center-forward, a left-back, and a winger before the end of the month.
The Scottish behemoths have yet to add their first player since the window opened for business at the beginning of last week. They are getting close to making a move for Nicolas Kuhn, the forward for Rapid Wien, though.
The Bhoys ‘expect’ to get a deal done for the German attacker, according to Hendry, which means the team will require a striker and a left-back.
As they lead the Scottish Premiership right now, Celtic may be looking to bolster their team in order to win the championship at the end of the current campaign.
According to reports, Lawrence Shankland is a striker who might be added to Aaron Rodgers’ arsenal. He could be a deadly partner for Luis Palma up top.
News of a Celtic transfer: Lawrence Shankland
At the beginning of the month, journalist Graeme Bailey disclosed that Celtic is contemplating a January raid to sign the Scotland international.
But according to the HITC report that went along with it, there is a lot of competition for his signature, so the club may find it challenging to get it.
The Hearts skipper is reportedly attracting interest from Everton, Sheffield United, Burnley, and Crystal Palace in the Premier League as well as Southampton, Middlesbrough, and Hull in the Championship.
It’s unclear whether Celtic will agree to pay that much for the center-forward, given that Football Insider reported in December that Hearts are willing to demand at least £3 million for their captain.
The publication said that Glasgow Rangers have been keeping tabs on the Scottish number nine but the £3m valuation appears certain to park their interest until the summer, for budgetary reasons.
Due to his excellent goal-scoring ability and the winger’s exceptional creativity, Rodgers may become a deadly companion for Palma in the final third if the Hoops are successful in winning the hunt for his signature in the upcoming weeks.
The statistical season of Luis Palma
In the summer transfer window, the Bhoys acquired the excellent forward from Greek team Aris in preparation for the 2023–24 campaign, and he has already proven to be a revelation.
The gifted wizard quickly adjusted to Scottish football, making a name for himself at Parkhead and becoming an important member of the former Leicester manager’s team.
Having scored five goals in his first 17 Premier League games, he has proven to be a reliable scoring option for Rodgers. In the squad, the only players with higher scores than him are David Turnbull (seven), Kyogo Furuhashi (eight), and Matt O’Riley (ten).
Earlier this season, the 23-year-old sensation scored two goals in four starts in the Champions League to further highlight his offensive prowess on the grandest platform.
But Palma’s greatest asset has always been his inventiveness. In his 17 league games, the right-footed magician has generated 11 “big chances” for his teammates in addition to nine assists and 3.4 crucial passes per game.
In the Premiership this season, no other Celtic player has recorded more than seven assists or more than 2.6 crucial passes per game.
According to these figures, the Honduran international is the most creative forward for the team this season and is also the most likely to penetrate an opponent’s defense.
As a result, Palma might be the ideal player to partner with a new center-forward because he possesses the ability to regularly provide excellent opportunities for them to score goals.
The numbers indicating that Shankland might be fatal for Celtic
With the current Celtic star’s assistance, Shankland may become a deadly striker at Parkhead given his stellar performance for Hearts over the previous 18 months.
The 28-year-old striker scorched an impressive 24 goals and four assists in 37 games, including 33 Premiership starts, for the Jam Tarts in the previous campaign.
He has demonstrated that his incredible comeback in front of goal from the previous season was no fluke. With 13 goals, the £3 million attacker is presently the highest scoring player in the Scottish Premier League.
Based on these figures, Celtic would be adding a player who has demonstrated success at this level and who has outperformed Kyogo, Rodgers’ current number nine, in terms of goals and efficiency when taking “big chances.”
As a result, Palma might receive more assists for his outstanding inventiveness since he would not throw away as many excellent opportunities in front of goal as the Japan international does. Palma is a former finisher for Dundee United.
Shankland was praised as a “big game player” by journalist Philip West, and his performance this season supports that claim. In the Premiership, the Hearts skipper has scored once against Rangers and again against Celtic, all in different games.
In order to give his team a 1-0 victory over Hibernian in the 93rd minute of the Edinburgh derby, he also performed a magical moment, as shown in the video above.
This demonstrates that the seasoned forward can come up in important games to be a difference-maker, demonstrating that the Scottish ace is made for the big occasion and has the mentality necessary to succeed in a demanding atmosphere at Paradise.
Rodgers has to work hard to sign Palma before the end of the month because having a player as talented as him on his left at the top end of the pitch would also mean that he would get the opportunities in front of goal that he needs to be an exceptional number nine for the Hoops.
Phil Hay: Another setback for the “brilliant” Leeds player who will miss Cardiff
Leeds will play Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon in South Wales in an attempt to win three straight games overall and back-to-back in the Championship. On New Year’s Day, the Whites defeated Birmingham City 3-0 with ease. The following weekend, they defeated Peterborough in the FA Cup away from home by the same score.
If Leeds wins, they will have the chance to get within four points of the promotion spots. This is because Ipswich Town, in second place, are not playing until 17:30 and have a difficult game against Sunderland at home. Even yet, Daniel Farke won’t be expecting an easy ride against Cardiff, who are only three points outside the play-off spots themselves and managed to draw 2-2 at Elland Road on the first weekend of the season.
Goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who was sent off for his red card in the 2-1 Boxing Day loss to Preston, is anticipated to return, giving Farke a boost. Also scheduled to travel across the Welsh border are Sam Byram, Joe Gelhardt, and Ian Poveda, who has been sick.
Cooper now stands alongside Struijk.
The bad news for Farke is that he appears to be lacking a center defender, with Liam Cooper now seen as a “major doubt” and Pascal Struijk expected to miss his third straight game.
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