Although the season has hit a stumbling block amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the latest announcement from FIFA must be a welcome boost for Celtic if the game resumes again later this year. They have a few players on loan, and the guidelines suggest that the deals would not expire in summer. Instead, these deals would continue until the current term reaches its conclusion.
FIFA guidelines to address legal consequences of COVID-19: https://t.co/0Nk627K42G pic.twitter.com/VEk91vP1mx
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) April 7, 2020
The Hoops are the runaway Premiership leaders following Rangers’ dreadful form since the winter break. Yet they need to finish things off, and the services of Fraser Forster and Mohamed Elyounoussi would be essential due to the impact made by the Southampton duo in their respective roles.
Celtic, meanwhile, have a forgotten star on loan in Moritz Bauer who joined in the summer on a season-long deal from Stoke City. The Austrian was supposed to secure the right-back role succeeding Mikael Lustig. Also, the persistent injury problems of Hatem Abd Elhamed paved his way further for a first-team status earlier this campaign.
But the emergence of Jeremie Frimpong shattered those hopes as Neil Lennon kept on preferring the 19-year-old over Bauer. The gaffer later switched to a ‘back three’ formation shifting James Forrest as a right wingback and the 28-year-old Potters loanee failed to impress enough in limited minutes to secure a permanent transfer.
What Went Wrong For Bauer At Celtic
Bauer has shown his defensive composure, but the aggressiveness of Scottish football demands more attacking intent in the game and the same has been highlighted by former Celtic right fullback Mark Wilson while speaking to The Scottish Sun.
“I think to be a Celtic full-back you need to be very comfortable on the ball and you need to be attacking minded and I think Bauer looks solid enough defensively but maybe not as much on the ball which you would like a full-back to be in the modern game.”
The Austria international would cost £5m – an amount which is quite high considering the financial limitations of the league. Wilson has suggested that the club should not splash the cash to keep him past his loan deal, particularly with Frimpong’s presence and prominence since joining the Hoops. We think Lennon cannot spend this amount of money on Bauer, especially given there are other priorities which need to be resolved when the transfer market opens.
