Scottish giants Celtic are in contention to sign Dutch midfielder Elmo Lieftink. The 24-year-old plies his trade for Willem II in the Eredivisie. He is a utility midfielder and his preferred playing position is defensive midfield. However, he can play in the centre back role as well.
Lieftink played 26 games for his team in all competitions in the last term. He might not have featured in all of the games for his team but whenever he has been on the pitch, he has been able to make the difference by sitting in front of his defence and thwarting away opponent attacks.
Celtic have been head and shoulders above everyone in the last two seasons on the domestic front as they wrapped up two consecutive trebles and they will look to continue their domination. Their opponents and major rivals Rangers will certainly be expected to challenge them next season for the title and the Hoops will be wary of that fact.
They currently have just two out-and-out defensive midfielders in Nir Bitton and Eboue Kouassi. Bitton is generally the preferred first choice option but he has missed a good amount of games due to injuries and managed just 14 appearances in the Scottish Premiership.
Lieftink can be termed as a late bloomer as he made his first senior team appearance at the age of 22 but slowly and steadily he has been able to showcase his potential. Whenever he has been on the pitch for his side, he has made a remarkable difference. He is extremely good at intercepting and reading games and is a dominant figure in the middle of the park for his side.
With him, Willem II have managed 4 cleans sheets and when he has not started for them, they pulled off just one clean sheet. The midfielder has slowly gone on to cement his place in the playing eleven and he will be expected to play a much bigger role next season if he decides to stay with his current club.
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However, he can be lured to the Scottish giants as he will have a great chance to play in the Champions League and with not much competition to fight for in the defensive midfield role, we can see him get some regular game time at Celtic Park. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to adapt his game in a different league but from the evidence he has shown so far, it looks like a good signing on paper for the Hoops.
