According to the reports from the Scottish Sun, Celtic and Rangers are set to rival each other for the signature of Motherwell’s talented winger Jake Hastie. The winger had spent the first half of the season with second division outfit Alloa Athletic on loan, but Stephen Robinson decided to give him a chance in January. Ever since then, the winger has impressed a lot.
Apart from the Old Firm rivals, Hull City and Middlesbrough are also said to be in the race for the signature of this winger. Hastie is currently in the final few months of his contract, but the report adds that the Well have offered him a three-year deal to stay at Fir Park.
It remains to be seen what would transpire in the next few months, but no doubt moving to a heavyweight club like Celtic should excite the youngster. However, Robinson has already warned Hastie that moving away from Motherwell can hamper his development.
His manager had said (The Scottish Sun), ”He’s playing regular first-team football, and I’d sit in front of any parent and tell them if their boy goes to England they will be playing Under-23 football, and will maybe lose their way. I’m a big advocate of playing early and playing young, and I’m confident Jake will re-sign.”
Robinson makes it clear as daylight that he wants his young starlet to stay. The player too could be sceptical of moving to Celtic as they have some top wingers at their disposal. Hastie is typically a left-footed left winger, but there is no doubt that he can slot on the right as well as he often likes to get into central areas to affect play.
Apart from regular options like Scott Sinclair and James Forrest, the club currently has Oliver Burke and Timothy Weah who can play on the flanks. However, the duo are just on a loan deal up until the end of the ongoing season. The club meanwhile has also secured the services of Maryan Shved last month who would join the club in the summer.
We believe Celtic should go all out to sign this talented star as he can turn out to be a real gem. He can act as a more than a decent backup for someone like Sinclair. Also with Forrest being linked with a Liverpool move in the summer, the club might want to refill its stock for wingers.
Hastie has the pace and most importantly the final product to his game which should make him a hit at Parkhead. Celtic can also offer Hastie a chance to play in the top European competition which none of the English clubs and Rangers can at the moment, given Celtic win the title and qualify for the Champions League main round.
