Brendan Rodgers departure from Celtic was met with a lot of criticism, and the fans were unhappy on how the double treble-winning manager left the club in a lurch midway through the season. However, change in manager hasn’t impacted Celtic much as they are motoring on their way to another treble with Neil Lennon at the helm of the club.
The departure of Rodgers though brought some impressive financial windfall at the club as Celtic received as much as £9m (The Telegraph) from Leicester City for letting Rodgers and his staff join the King Power Stadium. That amount is definitely a hefty sum and the club can use that in the upcoming summer transfer window.
One area where the club needs to add reinforcement is the centre back position, and Scott McKenna has been linked with the Hoops for quite some time.
Reports earlier claimed that the Dons are set to demand as much as £10m for their star defender and that would have made him Celtic’s highest ever signing. The Bhoys had a bid of £3.5m rejected in the summer of 2018. So it is clear that the club has a significant gap to make up if they want to lure the defender.
With this £9m money received from Rodgers’ departure, we feel the club should look to invest in a real long term centre half option, and McKenna feels like a top bet to us. The defender has done well more often than not under Dereck McInnes, and the Hoops can have a solid option for years to come.
Lennon is set to lose the services of Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic in the upcoming summer. Boyata has been the backbone of this Celtic defence for quite some time and losing him for free is a significant blow for the club. The Belgian has been a dominant force at the back, and Lennon will need someone who would continue with that. McKenna seems like an ideal candidate.
At just 21, he has shown his prowess and is already a regular feature for his club and country. The Scotsman has that physical and dogged side to his game along with good footballing abilities which makes him a reliable figure at the back. In terms of reading dangers, McKenna is right up there as he is often behind some crucial interceptions and tackles. The price might raise eyebrows but Celtic have it in them to spend the money from Rodger’s departure to secure the services of this Aberdeen defender.
