It has been a season worth cherishing for Celtic on the domestic soil, for they have been brutally ruthless and have bulldozed their way to the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership league chart. Under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers, the Celts have accumulated a humungous lead of 22 points over second-placed Aberdeen and are well on course to clinch the league silverware as an invincible outfit.
One of their star performers for the ongoing campaign has undoubtedly been their prolific hitman Moussa Dembele. The 20-year-old sensation has banged goals left right and centre and created mayhem for the opposition’s defence. Right from the start of the season, Dembele has been on fire and has already scored 17 goals in the top tier of Scottish football this campaign with the Bhoys and is a subject of a lot of interest from European heavyweights.
Celtic, sadly, do not possess the financial stronghold which the Premier League club boast of and with the latest report of Chelsea offering a deal to Dembele to lure him to the Stamford Bridge surfacing, it is seemingly likely that he would be making a move away from the Pride Park Stadium. The former Liverpool manager must start jotting for prospective replacement as a precautionary measure and one of the attackers with repute he could sign is Southampton’s, Jay Rodriguez.
Under Claude Puel’s regime, Rodriguez hasn’t really blossomed the way he should have. The former Burnley forward has bagged 4 goals and registered 1 assist in 16 appearances (9 of which have been from the bench), and has fallen out of favour on the south coast.
However, Rodriguez is a sheer talent who has had his share of injuries in the past to dent his form but is still a good enough target for a rapidly rising club in the shape of Celtic who would love to solidify their frontline in the summer.
The 27-year-old adds a lot of flamboyance and fluidity up front, chips in with goals time and again and runs at defenders to outclass them with his pace and movements with the ball. Moreover, he is a modern-day footballer who could ply his trade on either wing as well as from the central attacking role. He is skilful, knows how to create spaces and contributes defensively as well. Rodriguez might be looking for an outlet from St. Mary’s in the summer and with a cut-price deal, the Scottish giants would be the beneficiary if the deal materialises.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
