A scintillating 7-0 win over St Johnstone and a 5-2 win away against Motherwell was a clear message from the Celtic camp how desperate they are to defend their Premiership title despite Rangers’ resurgence under Steven Gerrard. They lost a few key players over the course of the summer. However, at the same time, they roped in an array of able alternatives to bolster the squad.
The Hoops, meanwhile, lost their battle to keep hold of homegrown asset Kieran Tierney who joined Arsenal after weeks of speculation. A new left-back has already been tied down in the form of Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, but they want both competition and cover for that particular slot. Celtic are reportedly weighing up a move for Brentford youngster Rico Henry, according to The Sun.
Latest On The Player’s Availability
The Bees, on the other hand, are desperate to keep hold of the 22-year-old and according to West London Sport, preparing a new contract offer to fend off Celtic’s interest in the former Three Lions youth international. He is valued at around £7m (as per Football Scotland). Although Neil Lennon dismissed the rumour a few days back (as cited by The Scotsman), this new deal offered to Henry indicates that something must have developed behind closed doors.
Why Celtic Should Step Up The Chase For The Englishman
The former Walsall fullback had an injury-ravaged spell since completing a £1.5m (rising to £5m) transfer to Brentford back in the summer of 2016. But Henry showed glimpses of his quality whenever he featured for the Bees and impressed with his attacking flair, pace, overlapping runs, link-up play and cut insides. His crossing needs improvement; however, the defensive qualities he holds would make him an apt addition in Lennon’s set-up.
Fitness remains the only concern considering the player’s past injury record. However, the club must gamble on the young fullback even though he won’t come cheap.
He would be integrated slowly with the current set-up and initially feature as the cover of Mbombo to settle in new surroundings and adjust to the physicality as well as the aggressiveness of Scottish football.
Lennon utilised Jonny Hayes as a makeshift left-back towards the closure of the previous campaign. But the Irishman, on the wrong side of 30, should only be viewed as a short-fix if they fail to wrap up the deal before the window is slammed shut. Celtic have received a financial boost by selling Tierney, and therefore, must invest the amount wisely on preferred targets to maintain their Scottish supremacy.
