We are hurtling towards the end of the transfer window, and League One and League Two teams can still bring in players this summer. Portsmouth who would be looking to get back in the Championship after faltering in the play-off semi-finals last season were recently linked with Celtic’s Calvin Miller.
The 21-year-old is a left-sided fullback who can play further up the pitch on the wings as well. Celtic boss Neil Lennon had deemed him surplus to requirements and the Hoops were open to shipping him away. However, BBC journalist Andrew Moon recently gave an update and said that Kenny Jackett wouldn’t sign Miller. There is no reason stated by the reporter, but maybe the Pompey boss feels that he wouldn’t be able to deliver at Fratton Park.
Miller has made just a handful of senior team appearances for the Hoops. The Scottish giants are in desperate need of left-sided fullbacks as they lost the services of Kieran Tierney and Emilio Izaguirre this summer. However, Miller hasn’t been considered as an option yet, and the club are still looking to make new signings after bringing in Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo this summer.
Even after the departure of two players, Miller hasn’t been able to rise in the pecking order so that clearly suggests that Lennon isn’t confident about his abilities. The fullback has come up from Celtic’s academy and has spent time on loan at Dundee and Ayr United.
The Scotsman is known as an attack-minded fullback, and he is capable of delivering in some good crosses from the left. However, he is yet to prove himself at a tough level, and he might have to move away from Celtic to get his chances.
What should Jackett have done?
The Pompey have got Lee Brown as their first-choice left-back, and we don’t think Miller would have been able to dislodge him from the first team. As a backup, the club has got Brandon Haunstrup who has come up from Portsmouth’s academy. Haunstrup is unlikely even to come close to challenging Brown for first-team places, and that is where someone like Miller might have come in.
We think that bringing in the Celtic player on a season-long loan wouldn’t have been a bad ploy. Miller would have been a punt as he hasn’t played much football at the senior level yet, but he has been known as a significant talent for the youth team. Maybe Jackett could have got him on loan to test his abilities as he could have been a success in the English third tier.
