Celtic will surprisingly have to do the chasing after the international break as they trail Rangers by two points in the Premiership. The Hoops were relatively busy in the summer transfer market as they had to replace a lot of outgoing players. The January transfer window is still a few months away, but Lennon had indicated earlier that his side are already working feverishly to get in some players.
Whelan’s take on Celtic signing Wanyama
Former Leeds United striker and BBC pundit Noel Whelan recently indicated that Celtic would likely complete the signing of Wanyama in January. Speaking to Football Insider, he said, ”It looks like Wanyama’s Tottenham career is coming to an end. He’s had a lot of injury problems in the last few years, and he can’t get in the team.
”No player can be happy not playing. He’ll want to get his career back on track, and a move to Celtic on loan makes total sense. He knows the club really well; he knows Neil Lennon thinks the world of him and he would be playing regularly. I can see him joining in January, definitely.”
The Kenyan international was linked with the Hoops in the summer, but nothing materialised at that point. Wanyama reportedly came close to joining Club Brugge, but even that didn’t go through. The midfield enforcer has just played 23 minutes in the Premier League so far this season, and he is clearly behind the pecking order at the club.
Lennon on Wanyama interest
Last month, Lennon gave some indication about whether he will go after Wanyama or not in January. He had said (The Scottish Sun), ”There was interest, but it never got off the ground. Could we look at it again in January? We’ll have to wait and see. We might not want to with the balance of the squad now, as well as the affordability.”
Why do we think Celtic shouldn’t go out of their way to get Wanyama?
Make no mistake, Wanyama will be a quality addition at Celtic Park as he can be a dominant force in midfield. However, Lennon has decent options in the middle for now. Club captain Scott Brown is still going strong along with Callum McGregor. Olivier Ntcham has had to wait for his chances, and even he is a top option to have in the middle. Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic are expected to get back to full fitness so even they will be fighting for a place.
Therefore Wanyama is not a necessity for Lennon, and it will be more of a luxury signing. If Celtic can get him on loan in January with Tottenham paying the bulk of his wages, then Lennon should go ahead and get him. Otherwise, the Celtic manager could give Wanyama a miss given the options he has at his disposal in midfield.
