According to the latest reports from The Sun (5 June, page 52), Newcastle United are interested in signing Crystal Palace’s centre back Scott Dann who is being valued at £6m by the Eagles. The English defender managed to make just ten appearances in the Premier League last season, and it seems like he is going to struggle for game time again in the upcoming campaign.
We feel that Celtic should rival Newcastle United in their pursuit of this experienced defender. The Hoops have already lost the services of Dedryck Boyata who joined Hertha Berlin. The Belgian missed a good chunk of the second half of the season for Celtic, but he was a valuable player for them when he was available.
Filip Benkovic is also set to return to Leicester City as his loan spell is coming to an end. However, Brendan Rodgers has indicated that he could send the Croatian back to Celtic Park for another loan spell. That is still uncertain, and Celtic would definitely need to add a defender in the summer.
Dann has the experience of playing in over 200 games in the Premier League. The defender has his contract at the Selhurst Park until 2020, and we feel that the Eagles might sell him if their valuation is met.
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Newcastle United are also likely to use Dann only as a backup option as they have the likes of Jamaal Lascelles, Federico Fernandez, Fabian Schar, Florian Lejeune and Ciaran Clark as centre back options. Benitez usually deploys three central defenders in a back five, so it is understandable why they are packed with centre backs.
However, we don’t see Dann getting regular game time at St. James’ Park next season, and that can work in Celtic’s advantage.
Dann’s strengths
The 32-year-old is not blessed with too much pace, but he makes up for it with his immaculate reading of the game. His positioning sense is impressive, and he knows when to stick tight to his man and when to fall back to defend. The Englishman is also comfortable on the ball which would allow Celtic to build from the back. There is no doubt that he has that aerial and physical prowess to thrive in the Premiership.
His age might be a problem for the Hoops as they don’t usually sign players over 30, but Dann can be a reliable defensive option as he looks fit. It seems like he still has some years left in him.
