The latest report from the Bristol Live suggests that Celtic are keeping track of Chelsea defender Tomas Kalas who is currently on loan with Bristol City. It is believed that Celtic’s scouts were present in attendance to watch him play against Ipswich Town where the Robins ran out 3-2 winners. The defender still has three years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, but there seems to be no way that he would break into their squad.
The centre-back spent the last season on loan with Fulham where he played a crucial part in their promotion pursuit. The Czech Republic international has had a staggering eight different loan spells with six clubs ever since he joined the Blues in 2010. Luckily the defender can at least say that he has an appearance for Chelsea unlike someone like Matej Delac who spent ten years as a Chelsea player but didn’t make an appearance for them.
Kalas can be recalled to Chelsea if permanent offers come for the defender in January and Celtic are probably looking at him as a replacement for Dedryck Boyata who is likely to leave the club by next year. The club will also lose Filip Benkovic at the end of the season as he is on loan from Leicester City. Therefore, it makes sense for the manager to look for a defender in January.
Celtic’s defence currently might be looking tight but when Brendan Rodgers didn’t have the option of playing Benkovic and Boyata, the team struggled, and that is probably what cost them a place in the Champions League this season.
The likes of Jozo Simunovic and Jack Hendry were well below par in their performances, and the manager would have been frustrated in missing out on a berth in the Elite European competition.
The 25-year-old has shown enough evidence while playing away on various loan spells, that he can be a success at Park Head. The defender is firm in his challenges whether it’s in the air or on the ground and he reads the situations well. The Czech international shows a decent pace for a defender, and we believe he could be a smart buy for the Bhoys.
It remains to be seen though how much Chelsea will demand for him. It’s clear that he doesn’t have a future at East London given he has made just four appearances for the side since his arrival in 2010. The club also shouldn’t have any qualms in selling him, and Celtic can have a defender who is relatively experienced but still young enough to play for a good number of years in Glasgow.
