In a recent report, The Daily Mail has stated that Leicester City have entered the race for Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie this summer. It is believed that the Foxes could face competition in the form of OGC Nice in pursuit of the Scottish midfield ace in this off-season (via The Daily Mail).
Christie’s Impressive Form In Scottish Football
The 26-year-old deserves credit for putting in a series of productive displays as a key member of Celtic’s attack. Christie made 46 appearances for the Glaswegian outfit in the previous campaign, finding the back of the net on seven occasions and providing 15 assists in various competitions.
The Scotland international has been a consistent performer for his current club based on his average of 1.7 tackles, 0.9 clearances, 2.8 shots, 2.1 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game in the Scottish Premiership last season. He has even taken care of the ball when distributing it in the opposition half after completing 83.5% of his attempted passes in the top tier of Scottish football (stats via whoscored).
Despite his impressive offensive contributions, Christie couldn’t manage to help his team challenge Rangers for the league title last season, so maybe he could be tempted with a chance to join the Premier League if Leicester end up moving in for him during this summer transfer period.
What Will The Scottish Playmaker Add To Rodgers’ Side?
Christie is a hard-working midfielder who can make some clever runs with the ball in the opponent’s half. He has got the eye to play a killer pass in the final third and is not shy of having a shot at goal. The 20-time Scotland international has shown that he can chip in with some valuable goals and assists for his team but it remains to be seen whether he can maintain his good form in the Premier League where he might struggle to cope with the physical nature of English football.
Christie is yet to play football outside Scotland, so he will be a risky addition to the Foxes squad this summer. However, Brendan Rodgers can expect him to add plenty of goals, creativity and energy to his first XI in the coming seasons.
At 26, Christie is playing at his peak at the moment and could grow into a future star at the King Power Stadium if Rodgers is willing to ease him into his first team in the upcoming campaign. The Scottish sensation will even add some much-needed depth to the East Midlands outfit’s squad that might help them challenge for a major trophy in the years to come.
