According to the latest reports in Daily Record, Celtic’s chances of landing Borussia Dortmund’s right back Jeremy Toljan has gone up as reports from Germany came out that a loan deal could be finalised in the coming hours. The German heavyweights had already given the green signal to let the full back leave. Another report from Fussball Transfers adds that there will be no purchase option included in this loan deal.
The Hoops have been linked with plenty of fullback in the past one odd month. Their current right back options; Cristian Gamboa and Mikael Lustig are in the final six months of their contract, and there is no indication yet that the Hoops would offer either of them a new deal.
Lustig has continued to be the first choice option but he is already 33 and the experienced defender has been a weak link at the back this season. The fullback gets away with his lackadaisical defending in the Premiership given the fact that Celtic tends to dominate their game. However, he has often been found wanting in tough European matches, and the Sweden international has been behind some glaring errors in the Europa League.
Therefore it is imperative for the club to look for an upgrade if they are thinking of qualifying to the next round of the Europa League by beating Spanish opponents Valencia. Toljan looks like a good bet and the fact that he was a regular for a club like Dortmund until last season should excite the Hoops fans.
Toljan made 19 starts for the German heavyweights last season, but under new manager Lucien Favre, he is yet to make an appearance in the Bundesliga in this campaign. It is clear that the new manager doesn’t fancy him and it would be better for the player to move to a new club.
The 24-year-old is an attack-minded fullback, and he showcases electric pace. That allows him to be used even in an advanced role and we believe he would definitely be an upgrade over Lustig. However, the fullback might have to improve on some aspects of his game. The defender is short of game time this season so he might take some time to get back to his best.
The German should suit Rodgers’ attacking style well, and this could be a massive coup for the Bhoys. However, one dampener could be that it’s just a loan deal with no option to make it permanent. But these are just rumours as of now, and we might have to wait and see to get an official confirmation on the nature of the deal.
