Manchester City‘s young starlet Patrick Roberts has gone back to his parent club after a decent loan spell at Celtic Park. Along with him, Celtic have also lost the services of Stuart Armstrong who joined Premier League outfit Southampton. Those two departures might be a cause of concern for Brendan Rodgers and he acknowledged the fact that he will need some strengthening in those departments.
He said,”We know we need to strengthen. We lost Stuart Armstrong and Patrick Roberts who were really influential players for us in all the years I have been here. We need to at least replace that and if we can also add to the squad. There is always speculation and rumor around players coming here or players leaving the club. You just have to stay concentrated, that will be a club decision in the end whatever happens.”
This was Roberts’ second consecutive season-long loan spell at Celtic Park and the 21-year-old has been influential for his side whenever he has been on the pitch. He had made 78 appearances for them in the last two seasons and managed to score 18 goals while providing 26 assists. Those are certainly some good numbers and Rodgers will need to look at the transfer market to replace the outgoing young star.
We look at three possible alternatives whom Rodgers can consider.
Brahim Diaz
The Hoops can probably go after yet another Manchester City star and Diaz has been waiting in the wings at Etihad to get regular first-team action. Diaz traditionally plays in the No. 10 role but can also feature down the wings. He is highly regarded at City’s academy and has a bright future in front of him. Maybe Pep Guardiola will let him leave so that the 18-year-old can have some valuable first-team experience at Parkhead.
Robert Snodgrass
The veteran Scottish international could also be a viable option for Rodgers as he has plenty of experience. He is a boyhood Celtic fan and had commented once,” The first thing I remember was going up to Celtic Park to watch Celtic, feeling the full effect of the stadium. When you see the players on the park for the first time, you get sucked in and it’s like a dream, I trained at Celtic when I was a kid. I used to train at Rangers as well. I wore my Celtic shorts underneath my Rangers shorts when I trained there!”
He could prove to be a clever signing if the Bhoys can pull off such a deal.
Read More: Celtic Open Talks Involving 24 Y/O England Ace’s Transfer: A Shrewd Piece Of Business By Rodgers?
Mason Mount
The Chelsea u23 star had a decent loan spell at Vitesse in the Eredivisie last season. In his 29 appearances in the league, he managed 8 goals and 9 assists. The 19-year-old is worth taking a punt as he has all the facets to his game to succeed in the Scottish Premiership.
