Celtic were taken aback when their star forward Moussa Dembele pushed for a move out on the last day of the summer transfer window. The club didn’t get any chance to bring in replacements and therefore it is expected that the Hoops would go after a striker shortly and we think they should once again reignite their interest in Everton striker Henry Onyekuru. Celtic were one of the teams who were fighting for his signature, but the Merseyside club pipped the Scottish giants to land him in the 2017 summer window.
However, the Nigerian has had work permit issue and hasn’t been able to represent the Toffees so far. Last season, he spent his playing time with Anderlecht where he scored 9 times in the 19 league games. This season he has again been sent on loan, this time to Turkish giants Galatasaray. Traditionally Onyekuru is a left winger but he can play anywhere across the front three, and that should make him an appealing asset for Brendan Rodgers.
Some reports are coming out that Everton are looking to cash in on the striker and quite a few clubs should be after this talented Nigerian forward. Latest reports convey that clubs like Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich are also keeping track of this 21-year-old. Therefore it shows how highly rated he is in some quarters.
It’s true that the Hoops won’t be able to match the bids of the aforesaid big clubs but at Celtic Park, Onyekuru is likely to get a lot more first-team chances, and if he goes on to establish himself at Park Head, the winger cum forward could be the leading man for them for years to come. Rodgers still has the transfer money which he made by selling Dembele to Lyon, and we feel he should get some of that to use to land this talented Nigerian.
The Hoops will also need to be wary of his work permit issue as he can face the same problem in Scotland as well. Therefore any deal should only be done when things in the background have been cleared beforehand. Rodgers is currently dependent on just one striker in Odsonne Edouard as Leigh Griffiths is still out with an injury. Therefore someone like Onyekuru would add depth and competition for places if the Hoops manage to land him.
In January 2017 it had been reported that Celtic’s bid of £1m was rejected for Onyekuru and we believe the club would have to shell out way more than that in January next year. He can be a game changer and the fact that the Nigerian is still just 21, makes him an exciting prospect.
