According to reports from the Scottish Sun, Championship outfit Nottingham Forest are said to be interested in Dundee United’s striker Lawrence Shankland. Reports (Daily Record) had earlier emerged that Celtic were keeping track of him after his impressive goal scoring form for Dundee United. Along with them, Rangers were also said to be in the race for him.
However, now it seems like Celtic will have to ward off competition from down south. It is believed that Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi is keen to add a striker in January as he wants to add more squad depth and competition for places. Lewis Grabban is currently the main striker for the English club. It is being said that an offer of £2m could be too hard for United to resist in January.
United’s boss Neilson had claimed earlier that they are under no pressure to sell Shankland as they are vying for promotion themselves. However, £2m could be too good an offer to refuse for the Scottish Championship outfit.
Why should Celtic be on the lookout for a striker?
Celtic manager Neil Lennon recently went on to indicate that they would look to strengthen the squad in January. We think that a striker will be high on Celtic’s agenda as the likes of Vakoun Issouf Bayo and Leigh Griffiths have struggled with injuries and form.
The Hoops are relying heavily on Odsonne Edouard at the moment who has been fantastic, in all fairness. However, an injury to the Frenchman can be a serious cause for worry for the manager. Therefore the club should be on the lookout for a striker who can take some goal scoring burden off Edouard.
Will Shankland be a good bet?
Shankland has been nothing less than a goal machine in the last few years. However, it cannot be ignored that he is yet to be tested in the Scottish top flight. Nevertheless, we think that the striker has the ingredients to thrive in the Premiership too as Shankland is a natural goal scorer. Steve Clarke called him for Scotland’s national side recently, and that is a testament to his talent even though he is playing in the second division right now.
The price tag can be a bit of a concern for the Hoops as they might not want to spend £2m for him. Moreover, Nottingham Forest are emerging as genuine contenders to move to the Premier League by next season. So Shankland can definitely be lured to the English Championship. However, Celtic should try to beat them in January as they need a striker to support Edouard anyways.
