Celtic were linked with Ukrainian winger Maryan Shved, and Brendan Rodgers has now confirmed to the Herald Scotland that the Karpaty Lviv star is set to join Parkhead by this week. A signing like this is going to raise quite a few eyebrows as the club doesn’t need any winger and Rodgers too iterated that same message.
The Northern Irish manager said, “I’m not going to say I’ve been tracking the boy for six months. I don’t need a winger now but he’s a talent and if the club sign him then we’ll look at a development plan, whether it’s coming in now or going on loan to play games. It should be done at the beginning of the week and we’ll go from there.”
It’s clear that this is not a signing which Rodgers would have demanded from the club and it’s the Celtic board who is making a decision here. Shved is already a Ukrainian international and is tearing apart the domestic league as he has eight goals and three assists as a winger in 17 league games this season.
However, it seems clear that he would struggle for game time initially and is being eyed as a future prospect by the club. The Bhoys had already signed Oliver Burke in this window to bolster their options in the wide regions and Shved is going to add more competition for places. Someone like Timothy Weah can also play on the flanks when required.
Shved prefers to play as a right winger and the Hoops already have someone like James Forrest to start in that position. However, the club could be preparing for the worst case scenario as earlier it was reported (The Scottish Sun) that Liverpool would target Forrest in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Moreover, the signing of Shved isn’t going to be good news for the likes of Lewis Morgan and Jonny Hayes who are trying to establish themselves in the first team and with more competition coming in, they could fall further behind the pecking order.
This signing might not make much sense now and the fans would have preferred to see a right back or a defender coming in. However, if Shved can settle in and showcase his worth, then this can turn out to be an intelligent piece of business from the club. What is impressive about this 21-year-old is his ability to score goals. We often see a lot of wingers with pace and skill but with a minimal end product. Shved, on the other hand, seems like a talent who can pick the right pass or make the right decision in the final third.
