Lawrence Shankland’s name has been linked (Daily Record) with Celtic and Rangers in the past few weeks. Celtic’s scouts reportedly watched the Dundee United striker against Greenock Morton where he bagged a hattrick. Shankland has carried on his rich vein of form from Ayr United, and he has propelled Dundee to the top of the table.
The 24-year-old has been scoring bucket loads of goals in the Scottish second and third tier, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him earn a big move to Glasgow next year. However, where in Glasgow remains a big question. Former Scotland international and Celtic striker Craig Beattie believes that Shankland will be a better fit at Parkhead.
Beattie on why Celtic will be the right fit for Shankland
Beattie talking on Keeping the Ball on the Ground podcast as cited by Glasgow Evening Times said, ”I think he’s good enough for Celtic and he suits Celtic’s style more than Rangers. The way Morelos plays he creates a lot of chances and makes a lot of his goals himself. Whereas Celtic are a bit more creative in the final third with their wide players and Christie. I think he’d be more suited to Celtic and he could quite easily go into Celtic and do a job there.”
Shankland has already taken his season’s goal tally to 15, and there is no doubt that he would be itching to produce the goods in the Scottish top flight in the future.
Does Celtic need someone like Shankland?
The Hoops currently have Odsonne Edouard as their best option up front. However, beyond that, Lennon might have some headaches as Leigh Griffiths hasn’t been the same with his personal and injury troubles. He is expected to be back after the international break, but the jury is still out on whether he will get his goal-scoring form back. Vakoun Issouf Bayo is also an untested alternative. Therefore the club needs a striker who could support Edouard upfront.
However, we think that Shankland is unlikely to leave in January with Dundee United fighting for promotion. Therefore Celtic might have to wait until next summer.
We would agree with Beattie that playing around Celtic’s terrific playmakers will suit Shankland’s game a bit more. The Scotsman is a lethal finisher and is a live wire in and around the box. He has a decent pace as well, but he would need some service to support him. We think that Lennon should continue to track his progress. Ideally, signing him in January would be a great coup for the Hoops, and that will add more firepower to their roster. If that doesn’t happen, then they should be all over him by next summer.
