Cristiano Piccini was a summer target (Daily Record) for Brendan Rodgers, but the right-back went on to join Spanish outfit Valencia for £7m from Sporting CP. This was considered as a significant miss for Celtic as Cristian Gamboa and Mikael Lustig had both entered the final year of their contract.
The right-back has struggled to find his feet in La Liga and has also been brought down by injuries of late. If latest reports from Deporte Valenciano are to be believed, then there is a possibility that the Italian fullback could be sent on loan. Daniel Wass is currently filling in for Piccini as a right back at Valencia even though he is a centre-back.
This piece of news should put the Hoops on high alert and even if not on a permanent basis, they can definitely try to land the Italian international in January on a short-term deal.
Afterall there is a possibility that if the player feels at home at Park Head, he might want to leave his struggle in Spain and move to Glasgow. However, we might be jumping the ship here. But it still is a possibility and Celtic should chance their arm if Valencia decides to send him on loan in January.
It is likely that the Spanish outfit would like to give him more time to prove himself given that he was a £7m signing and came with a good reputation from Portugal. But sometimes it’s not easy to move to a new country and start thriving there straightaway and even some of the best footballers have found it hard to get going everywhere.
The defender has a wealth of experience in the Serie A and Portuguese football and also has two caps for his national side Italy. Lustig’s performance has been below par this season and the right-back is often considered as one of the major weak links in the current back line. The 31-year-old has been behind some significant errors, especially in the Europa League and Rodgers should definitely look for a new right back in the upcoming transfer windows.
The fact remains though that there is not much of a possibility of signing him on a permanent basis in the future and that could be a reason why the Hoops might not go ahead with a loan move in January. The fans might be frustrated with Lustig but the manager is still backing him, and it is likely that he would continue as the no. 1 right back until the end of the season. However, our honest opinion is that the club should try to bring in Piccini in January on loan.
