Leigh Griffiths has featured heavily for the Scottish champions Celtic FC this season. The 27-year-old has made 24 first-team appearances this season and has been one of the stand-out performers for Brendon Rodgers’ men. However, a poor Champions League campaign has seen his club settle for a Europa League place which may have frustrated a lot of their players.
The Scottish club also boasts one of Europe’s top talents in the form of Moussa Dembele. The French striker has been struggling with injuries so far and Brendan Rodgers used Leigh Griffiths to directly replace him and lead the Hoops’ attack.
The Scottish international rose to the challenge and has been terrific for the Hoops this season. He has scored 9 goals and made 8 assists in 24 appearances. He even caught the eye at the international stage while representing Scotland in their match against England at Hampden Park.
The 27-year-old forward scored two goals in the last three minutes which almost handed his country a memorable victory on the night. His display caught the attention of Rodgers who was one of the first ones to congratulate him for his incredible showing.
However, Moussa Dembele is nearing a return from his injury which might mean that Leigh Griffiths have to settle for a place in the bench. With the striker’s rapid rise to prominence in the last few months, it is expected that he would demand first-team chances which the club might not be able to provide. So a departure from Glasgow is maybe on the horizon for the centre-forward.
Let’s take a look at the three clubs Leigh Griffiths can join if he decided to quit Celtic in search of a fresh challenge.
Burnley
The Clarets have been flying high in the Premier League this season. Sean Dyche has done a remarkable job with his Burnley team which has seen them climb to 7th place in the Premier League standings. However, they still lack enough firepower in front of goal. The Lancashire club has just scored 12 goals in 13 Premier League games so far in this campaign.
None of the Clarets’ strikers has consistently scored for the club this season and they are in need to secure a natural goal-scorer in the near future. Leigh Griffiths will be the perfect man to help ease Burnley’s problems in front of goal and his contributions can take the club to the next level.
Hibernian
It is no secret that Leigh Griffiths is a boyhood Hibernian supporter. He famously declared to not celebrate if he scored against his favourite club back in September this season. However, Celtic might consider the Hibees as their direct rivals for the Scottish Championship and may decide to opt against any such deal.
Having said that, the Scottish forward has the potential to make his boyhood club realistic title challengers in Scotland and that should serve as enough motivation for Hibernian to make a move for his signature.
Cardiff City
The Welsh club are in contention to fight for the English Championship and in turn, secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.
They are currently in second place behind league leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers and will look to add some firepower in January to improve their chances to compete with the West Midlands club at the top of the table. Leigh Griffiths may be the ideal candidate to help them secure a return to Premier League football.