According to a recent report by the Scottish Sun, newly-promoted Premier League outfit West Bromwich Albion are said to be eyeing up a potential move for the services of Celtic’s Norwegian defender Kristoffer Ajer. The Baggies are said to be considering the big centre-half, while Italian heavyweights AC Milan’s long-standing admiration for his talents have been well documented. Following the recent comments that were made by Neil Lennon, questions have begun to be asked about the places of various players within this Celtic squad.
Although the report has clarified that West Brom are interested in Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, whether or not he ends up leaving this summer remains to be seen. West Brom, being in the Premier League, would be able to offer the player a better wage, and that could be enough to tip the scales in their favour. Moreover, the fact that Ajer was benched for two matches prior to their Champions League defeat to Ferencvaros could also play a part. With two years remaining in his contract, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Celtic to think about cashing in on him, so as to maximise the incoming transfer fee.
What Makes Ajer A Good Prospect For West Brom?
The big centre-half has been a member of the Celtic roster since the summer of 2016, and over the last couple of seasons, he has developed into one of the Celts’ regular starters. Despite having a sensational season at the back last time out, his start of this new campaign has been far from comfortable.
The 22-year-old’s positioning has been quite flawed, while his ability to read play expertly seems to have completely vanished from his skill-set as well. Despite this, there’s no denying the obvious quality and potential for development that the youngster possesses.
Capable of showing the patience required to find the best possible forward pass in any situation, Ajer could, in fact, be well-suited to the fast-paced nature of the Premier League. Despite being a central defender by position, the Norwegian isn’t afraid to go on adventurous drives forward, and more often than not, he tends to beat every defender he takes on. Standing at a little under 2m, the Celtic man’s sheer physical presence simply cannot be underplayed either. Still only 22, a move to the Premier League could help Ajer develop into a top European defender in the future as well.
What Is Celtic’s Defensive Situation?
On paper, this Celtic team might look pretty well-stacked in most areas, but a closer inspection would reveal all the gaping holes that Neil Lennon has had to continually paper over. One of the biggest concerns, if not the biggest, is that they have just three recognised centre-half options. Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien offer the natural choices, while versatile midfielder Nir Bitton has been deployed there too. Going into any league season with just three central defensive options to choose from is suicidal, and the sale of yet another one should hence be completely unthinkable from a Celtic perspective.
West Brom Are Interested In Celtic Defender Kristoffer Ajer: Should Lennon Cash In?
As good as the Norwegian was last season, it’s worth considering that he’s still only 22-years-old. Performing consistently at such a young age certainly isn’t a cakewalk, and asking the defender to do it in the most competitive league in the world could yield dire results. For Celtic, there hasn’t been a more important league season than this one for quite some time, and the margin for error is already unbelievably limited. Selling Ajer would probably help Celtic out quite a bit financially, but in terms of numbers in the roster, they would be left terribly short-handed.
