Latest reports from the Scottish Sun suggests that ex Celtic star Patrick Roberts’ loan spell could be cut short in January with La Liga outfit Girona. Roberts was a crucial member in Brendan Rodgers’ double treble-winning squad, and there were reports in the summer that Celtic had prepared a £6m bid to land him permanently.
However, the midfielder was sent on loan again by Manchester City, this time to Spain. He has however failed to impress in the Spanish top flight and has played just over 200 minutes of football this season in the league, having had to make eight appearances to reach those number of minutes.
This should present Celtic with a perfect opportunity to get him back on loan or sign him permanently in January. Eredivisie outfit PSV Eindhoven are also said to be keen to sign him on loan for the remainder of the campaign. But given that the Hoops have a good relationship with the player and his parent club, they should be able to beat their competition.
In his two year spell at Park Head, the winger made 78 appearances and contributed with 18 goals and 26 assists. The English winger established himself as one of the fan favourites at the club, and it wouldn’t be surprising for anyone if Celtic renew their interest in him in January. However, he might have to bide his time to get playing opportunities as someone like James Forrest is doing exceedingly well in the right wing position.
The Hoops have a much bigger challenge on their hands this season as they currently sit level on points at the top of the table. Their biggest rivals Rangers are just two points off them, and it’s clear that Gerrard has managed to close down the gap a bit in his first season.
Therefore Rodgers would need all the firepower he can to retain the title and also win the other domestic cups. Someone like Roberts can come in handy in the second half of the season especially knowing that the Bhoys are facing some injury crisis.
Along with that, Roberts wouldn’t require too much time to adjust as he has been part of this team for two years. So one can expect him to have an instant impact in January if the club goes after him. There is also a decent chance that the Citizens could look to sell him as his contract expires in 2020 and there is no way that the 21-year-old would be able to break into Guardiola’s side.
The emergence of Christie has undoubtedly changed the dynamics here, and Rodgers also has someone like Lewis Morgan who can play in the final third like Roberts. Therefore it remains to be seen how keen Celtic would be to get him back in January now it is likely that his loan spell at Girona is going to be cut short.
