Celtic’s poor approach in the second half and their inability to finish off moves cost them a chance to go on top of the table as they secured only a draw against Motherwell recently. Leigh Griffiths came under a lot of fire for his display, and his penalty miss was considered as the primary reason why the Hoops weren’t able to put the game to bed. The experienced striker is a handy man to have in the squad, but if Celtic want to raise their bar, then they should look for improvement.
A striker should definitely be on the shopping list of the club after they sold Moussa Dembele to Lyon in the summer. Former Celtic player and current BT Sport Pundit Chris Sutton was unhappy with the club’s forward options, and after a draw with Motherwell, he said on the air (as cited by HITC), “I don’t think Celtic this season have enough centre-forwards. I know it was Leigh Griffiths’ first game back, but he was not good enough.
“And Edouard has been inconsistent. It is a problem area for Celtic. One of those two really needs to step up and start performing better. I thought they were sloppy at times.”
One of the strikers they could consider is Middlesbrough’s Britt Assombalonga who hasn’t made a first-team appearance since October, and latest reports from the Northern Echo suggests that Tony Pulis is willing to listen to offers for the forward in January.
The 26-year-old came in for big money and was expected to be a massive signing for Boro as his record for his previous club Nottingham Forest was outstanding where he scored 30 goals in 69 appearances. However, he has bagged just five goals so far this campaign and currently is out of favour concerning a starting place. Maybe the Hoops can first have him on loan in January to test his depths with a view to a permanent move in the upcoming summer window.
We believe his pace and dynamism will be a massive hit in the Scottish Premiership and he can be a like for like replacement for someone like Dembele. The Congolese forward can play anywhere across in the final third, and his searing pace allows him to be used as a winger as well.
Rodgers can land in a big problem if one of his forwards gets injured (especially if that is Odsonne Edouard). They have been lucky that they haven’t had any major injury setback to their record summer signing. We believe the money they received by selling Dembele should put to use, and after the latest development at the Riverside, Assombalonga can be a good prospect for the Hoops.
