It is now official! Celtic have completed the third signing of the January window as Vakoun Issouf Bayo followed Timothy Weah’s path and joined the Hoops (Daily Record) on a four-year deal. The forward has been linked with a move to Celtic Park for quite some time now, and Dunajska Streda and Celtic reached an agreement worth £2m which would now see the player move to Scotland.
According to the reports in Scottish Daily Star, the Hoops tabled a take it or leave it offer of £2m, and that seems to have done the trick for them in the end. Celtic have been in desperate need of strikers, and it is no surprise that now they have wrapped up the deals of two strikers in such a short span of time.
The Ivory Coast u-23 international has been in tremendous goalscoring form in the Slovakian league, and he is one of the primary reason why his side is doing so well and competing with league leaders Slovan Bratislava for the title. The 21-year-old has managed 18 goals and seven assists in 23 games, which has made him a phenomenon in the Slovakian league.
Celtic have had Odsonne Edouard as their sole strike option for quite some time now as Leigh Griffiths was out with injury and later he decided to to take some time off football to concentrate on his personal matters. With Europa League games also around the corner, it is no surprise that Rodgers decided to bring in two strikers this month.
Getting a deal done for Issouf Bayo might not give instant gratification to the fans, but Celtic have always had a knack of picking up certain gems. The Hoops faithful would hope that the striker can deliver the goods this season, as they are in a tight title race with Rangers and after many years, they might have a real challenge on their hand.
Clubs like Parma and Rapid Wien were also interested (Daily Record) in him so the Bhoys should be applauded for beating their competition to secure his deal. The 21-year-old can be a long term prospect at Celtic Park as he is yet to hit his peak. The Ivorian has that pace and physical side to his game which should make him a good bet to start up front.
Edouard is likely to continue as the first choice striker, but Rodgers would hope that Issouf Bayo can hit the ground running straight away. With creative players like Callum McGregor, Tom Rogic, James Forrest and Olivier Ntcham behind him, the player should be relishing the opportunity to move to Park Head where he can take his career to the next level. Rodgers should be applauded for getting this deal done.
