Celtic Park has been buzzing ever since the Ladbrokes Premiership kicked off. Under the regime of Brendan Rodgers, the Bhoys are taking marauding steps and owing to the way they have plied their trade so far in the league, it wouldn’t be a risk to presume that they could go the entire season unbeaten as they have dropped merely a couple of points so far, placing themselves miles ahead of the likes of Aberdeen and Rangers.
Their lethal striker in the shape of Moussa Dembele has been banging goals left right and centre and has caught the attention of the football fraternity. The youngster is already on the radar of many European heavyweights who will leave no stone unturned to snatch him away from Rodgers. The green and white crop might be in blistering form but they still don’t have the financial muscle to rebuff the temptations that they are seemingly likely to encounter once the summer transfer window commences.
Among the sides aiming to get the signature of Dembele, Liverpool are also reportedly keen to acquire his services and it is arguably high time for Rodgers to start doing his homework to ensure he has a Plan B to fill the void should 20-year-old leave.
In a scenario that is likely to fork out, Celtic should aim to get out-of-favour Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge. The Englishman has fallen behind in the pecking order and his injuries haven’t helped his cause either and he has had to contend himself with merely 14 appearances in the Premier League this term, including just 5 starts.
When Rodgers was in charge, Sturridge was a revelation for Liverpool and was considered as one of the most fearsome attacking players in the top tier of English football. If Liverpool successfully get Dembele, they might consider striking Sturridge off their books and a move to the Parkhead should appeal to the 27-year-old striker to rediscover his former self.
Under the tutelage of Rodgers, the otherwise underperforming assets like James Forrest, Scott Sinclair and Stuart Armstrong have excelled themselves and Sturridge could undergo a similar transformation.
Scoring 2 goals, bagging 1 assist and creating merely 8 chances aren’t the statistics we are accustomed to seeing adjacent to Sturridge’s name and a transfer might just blossom his injury-blighted career once again. Make no mistake, he is still a world-class poacher with a phenomenal eye for goal and if on song, he can bang 15 odd goals in a season.
A move to Celtic should be a win-win situation for all the parties involved and should rejuvenate the Celtic faithful even if they lose one of their main men of the ongoing season.
Statistic Credits: Squawka.
