According to reports from the Scottish Sun, Celtic are interested in bringing in Alaves attacker Patrick Twumasi. The winger cum striker failed to find the back of the net for the La Liga outfit in 13 appearances last season, and they could now look to ship Twumasi away to cut their losses. Alaves had signed him just last season only from Kazakhstan side Astana.
Why might Celtic fans remember Twumasi?
The Hoops came up against Astana in a Champions League play-off tie in 2017. Led by Brendan Rodgers, Celtic earned an impressive 5-0 win in the first leg. However, Twumasi gave a good account of himself against Celtic in the second leg as the Kazakh side won 4-3 against all the odds and Twumasi went on to score two goals in that win. The Hoops though romped to the next round with an 8-4 aggregate win.
Does Celtic need someone like Twumasi?
The 25-year-old is predominantly a right winger, but he can play as a striker as well. The Hoops lost the services of Oliver Burke and Timothy Weah as their loan spell expired. Burke filed in as a striker from time to time as Griffiths and Edouard were unavailable.
Celtic have a top class right winger in the form of James Forrest, but they might want to add more depth to their squad. Moreover, Twumasi’s versatility to play in different areas can come in handy.
The three-time Ghanaian international is known for impressive pace and acceleration, and his speed can trouble quite a few defenders in the Premiership. He can dribble his way out as well, but he is someone who struggles with linking up play. The winger struggled big time in the La Liga last season as he was handed no starts in the 13 appearances that he did make.
Should Celtic sign him?
He had an impressive record with Astana though as he managed 63 goals and 29 assists in 158 appearances. However, we feel that he would struggle in the Premiership as he can be outmuscled easily sometimes. Alaves have him under contract until 2022, so we don’t expect the Spanish outfit to sell him cheaply. Maybe on a free transfer, Twumasi would have made a case for himself as a backup option.
However, we don’t think that the Hoops desperately need him as they have already signed Maryan Shved and he can be an effective option to have on the wings. Therefore Lennon should give signing this Ghanaian international a miss.
