As Nicolas Kuhn’s transfer to Celtic draws towards a conclusion Chris Sutton is surprised that signing a winger is viewed as a priority.
During the summer Mark Lawwell identified Yang Hyun-Jun, Marco Tilio and Luis Palma with Brendan Rodgers giving his approval to those three deals.
Only Palma has made a positive impact but at least Rodgers has options in that area of the park which is more than can be said for the left-back position.
Alexandro Bernabei blotted his copybook at the start of the season when he slept in for a team meeting, that and erratic form has resulted in the Argentinian not starting any competitive matches and being left out of the Champions League squad.
Celtic’s first ever Argentinian signing started nine SPFL matches last season but with a change of management it seems that his hopes of a breakthrough have come to a halt with claims that there are clubs in Italy interested in taking Bernabei on loan.
Of more pressing interest to Celtic is finding competition to Traynor or better still bringing in an upgrade.
After discussing Kuhn in the Daily Record, Sutton adds:
There are areas which are absolute priority. Greg Taylor is having to carry the entire load on his shoulders at left-back because Alexandro Bernabei isn’t good enough to replace him.
That position is a must. That’s no slight on Taylor who keeps doing the job, but he needs to be properly backed-up at the very least and upgraded if possible, especially with the Champions League in mind.
I’d also wonder if Rodgers might look to the opposite side and deliberate whether Alistair Johnston offers enough of a threat in the final third of the pitch for a modern-day full back.
If Taylor picked up an injury Liam Scales is the likely alternative left-back but that won’t disrupt the only consistent factor in the centre of defence.
The Johnston suggestion is interesting, the player that arrived last January has barely been recognisable this term but the same could also be said for Joe Hart, Taylor and Kyogo Furuhashi.
A change of management and style of play could be part of the problem but Johnson did appear to rush back from injury to play in the final of the Scottish Cup then missed pre-season after picking up an injury on international duty.
With Buckie Thistle arriving at Celtic Park a week tomorrow there are high expectations among supporters for new faces in the side- and some regulars to recapture last season’s form.
CLICK HERE for Mark Hendry’s Celtic transfer expectations.
