Viktor Fischer is a 22-year-old Danish left winger. Fischer began his senior career at Ajax but moved to Middlesbrough last July for £4.25 million. However, Fischer has struggled for game time at Middlesbrough starting just six games all season. This, of course, has lead to speculation about his future at Middlesbrough with Scottish giants Celtic linked with a move for the winger.
The question remains, however, should Celtic attempt to lure away Fischer from Boro. As a Middlesbrough fan, it is very hard to judge as Fischer had limited game time last season. But as Boro are now in the Championship, Fischer may perform a lot better and could be a key part of Middlesbrough’s promotion push next season if given the chance.
Unable to find his feet at Middlesbrough
One thing that does suggest Celtic may not be wise to go for Fischer is his lack of playing time. The winger made just 13 league appearances for Middlesbrough last season. Seven of those coming as a substitute. Therefore, Fischer is hugely lacking in match fitness which could prove to be a problem for Celtic if they sign him. Also, the fact he made just six starts suggests he may not be up to scratch to compete in the top tiers of British football as both Aitor Karanka and Steve Agnew opted for other Middlesbrough players as their main choice left wingers.
While an argument can be made that the Premiership is not as hard as the Premier League, Celtic will also be looking to do well in the Champions League next season. So, if Fischer can’t cut it in the Premier League he definitely won’t be able to cut it in the Champions League. Therefore, if Celtic are looking to strengthen their squad to do well in the CL, Fischer is probably not the right man for them.
Injury prone
Another problem that could come with signing Fischer is he seems to be somewhat injury prone. For Middlesbrough, last season Fischer suffered a knee injury. This put him out for 35 days, missing seven games in that time. While that doesn’t seem too bad it’s worth looking back at Fischer’s injuries before joining Boro. As alluded to earlier, Fischer started his senior career at Ajax, spending four years in the main squad. During this time, Fischer spent over a year out injured.
Overall, Fischer has spent 433 days of his career out injured. This looks even worse when you consider the fact that he is only 22 meaning his career has been relatively short. But he’s still managed to spend well over a year out. This also raises the question of if Fischer is as good as many people believed he once was before he suffered all of these injuries as when he was 18 even Bayern Munich were interested in him. However, since his main injury in the 2014/15 season, Fischer hasn’t really lived up to the hype at either Ajax or Middlesbrough which gives rise to the claim his injuries may have hampered his abilities. It also begs the question if he would even be able to cut it in the Celtic starting XI.
What is wrong with Scott Sinclair?
Another reason Fischer probably shouldn’t sign for Celtic is Scott Sinclair seems better than him. Scott Sinclair was one of Celtic’s top players last season. He also plays the same position primarily as Fischer (left wing). So how do the two stack up?
Sinclair played 35 league games last season compared to Fischer’s 13 meaning Sinclair will be more match fit. Sinclair scored 21 goals last season in the league compared to Fischer’s 0. He was also Celtic’s second top scorer in the league only one behind wonder kid Dembele. Furthermore, Sinclair provided seven assists this season once again beating Fischer’s three.
Therefore, as Sinclair shares the same position as Fischer and Sinclair had a much better season than Fischer outperforming him in every way, the question must be asked, why would Celtic want to sign a player who has yet to prove himself and could be prone to injuries when they already have a very capable winger in Scott Sinclair.
Underutilised at Middlesbrough
However, while Fischer has not had a great start at Middlesbrough, the belief of many Boro fans is that he has been underutilised. Middlesbrough struggled in the league last season, especially in terms of goals, finishing the lowest scorers in the league. This shows Middlesbrough’s team as a whole lacked goals, not just Fischer. Furthermore, Middlesbrough’s main left winger last season was Stewart Downing. Downing played 2,212 minutes for Boro last season compared to Fischer’s 439. With such a big playing time gap you would expect Downing to have accumulated far more assists than Fischer. However, the reality is both Downing and Fischer managed three assists last season.
This gives rise to the belief amongst Boro fans that Fischer was under used. Also that he could have earned more assists if given the same playing time as Downing. Many Boro fans also believe Fischer could be a starting XI member next season and have a solid Championship season. This, therefore, suggests that Fischer may be a good signing for Celtic. Because he appears to have been underutilised at Boro so if Celtic give him a chance to shine he could be a real star.
