According to the latest reports from the Scottish Sun, Celtic are eyeing a swoop for Porto’s Fernando Fonseca as a long term replacement for Mikael Lustig. Reports add that Brendan Rodgers is desperate to land a new right back in this ongoing window and Fonseca could very much be Celtic’s man as reports indicate that the Portuguese heavyweights are open to selling their young fullback in January.
It is believed that the right-back can cost somewhere under the £2m mark. Foncesca was even linked with a move to Juventus in the summer of 2018, but the move didn’t materialise in the end. The 21-year-old has made just one senior team appearance, and he often plies his trade for Porto’s B side. However, he has made only three appearances for them this season.
Celtic have been after a right back for quite some time and they have been linked with the likes of Timothy Castagne and Omar Elabdellaoui. Castagne was being valued at £10m by Atlanta. Therefore, the Hoops were priced out of a move. On the other hand, Olympiacos did not want to sell Elabdellaoui.
Celtic, therefore, have kept on looking and Fonseca seems to be an attainable target. However, he is far from an established star with Porto and is currently struggling to get regular playing time with their B team as well.
Mikael Lustig has been Rodgers’ go-to man in the right-back role for quite some time now, but it is clear that the Swedish international is on a downward curve right now. The 32-year-old has been behind some glaring errors especially in the Europa League games, and there is no doubt that the experienced full-back needs replacement if Celtic wants to improve further.
Second choice option Cristian Gamboa is also in the final six months of his deal, and it is clear the manager doesn’t rate him much as Rodgers has preferred young Anthony Ralston over him of late. The club have a tough Europa League game against Valencia, and if Celtic hope to make it to the next round, then there is a definite need to bring in an upgrade over the current options they have.
The name of Fonseca wouldn’t really excite the Hoops as he is yet not proven at the top level and hasn’t even established himself at Porto. The only thing probably going his way is that he was wanted by a club of Juventus’ stature last season. That indicates towards the fact that the player has some talent.
The situation is such that Celtic are in desperate need of a right back and after missing out on so many previous targets, they might just go out and do business for Fonseca. Hopefully, from Rodgers’ point of view, the Portuguese defender can come good. however, our advice would be to keep looking for a better fit for the right back position.
