A double swoop for Joe Hart and James McCarthy should boost the Hoops in terms of experience and expertise in respective positions, but manager Ange Postecoglou still needs reinforcements to overcome the dismal inception of the 2021-22 season. According to the Irish Sun, Celtic are now closing in on Shamrock Rovers defender Liam Scales.
However, the Bhoys are not alone in the hunt as the Rovers boss Stephen Bradley has revealed Premier League interest (as quoted by the Daily Record) in the Republic Of Ireland youth international.
“I know there’s a lot of interest and there has been for quite some time. There’s a lot of serious interest from the English Premier League and Scotland. We’ve had a number of managers ring.”
Celtic were preparing an offer of around £700,000 for the centre-back. But they might have to enter the bidding war amid approaches from the English outfits. Scales is under contract until the summer of 2022 and the Irish heavyweights are keen on maximizing the profit for their prized asset during the ongoing transfer window.
The youngster plied his trade in Tallaght last year from UCD on a Bosman and soon secured a starting status exhibiting his flexibility across the backline. Predominantly a left-sided centre-half, Scales has shown his ability to operate as a fullback, wingback or even at the base of the midfield set-up. He had a brief stint on trial at Manchester City back in 2019 and was close to joining Bristol Rovers before the move collapsed at the eleventh hour.
Meanwhile, the champions of Ireland are gearing up for the UEFA Conference League qualifiers against Albanian outfit KF Teuta Durres. They are desperate to make it through to the group stages of this brand-new European competition and Bradley, therefore, would like to have the defender for this crucial contest irrespective of the transfer talks.
Why Celtic Should Secure The Services Of Liam Scales
The Bhoys have roped in Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan as the potential Kristoffer Ajer replacement. However, they are still waiting for Christopher Jullien’s return from a serious knee injury, whereas the persistent mistakes from Nir Bitton depict his incompetency as a makeshift central defensive option.
Stephen Welsh is an exciting prospect who emerged last season through the ranks, but the lack of depth in the defensive third needs to be addressed with quality additions. It is to be seen now how Celtic step up the chase and strike a deal in the wake of Scales’ growing popularity.
