Celtic boss Neil Lennon is planning a mass overhaul of his Celtic squad in the summer transfer window. According to a report by Football Insider, Neil Lennon is planning to strengthen all areas of his squad except the right back position.
Celtic previously failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League and where sent crashing from the Round of 32 in the Europa League after a 2-4 aggregate loss to Copenhagen FC.
Over the last couple of seasons, Celtic have made a couple of big money sell offs like Kieran Tierney to Arsenal and Moussa Dembele to Lyon for a combined fee of £44million which is something that could be replicated again this season with the prospective departure of striker Odsonne Edouard who is under contract till 2022 but is yet to enter negotiations over an extension on his existing deal.
Odsonne Edouard 'offered new Celtic deal' as Hoops look to ward off growing transfer interest https://t.co/AJpibOMTEb pic.twitter.com/EDKltuaaBk
— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) March 1, 2020
According to the report, Celtic are looking at the possibility of making as many as six addition in the next summer window and that involves addition to every area of their squad except for the right back position Neil Lennon and his staff are said to be impressed with the performances of the 19-year-old Jeremie Frimpong.
The report states that a club source has informed them about the clubs recruitment activities which involve compiling a list of transfer targets for every position of their squad barring one.
The report also states that the club have presently prioritised the left-back position, despite signing Greg Taylor from the Killies last summer. In addition to that Celtic are looking to sign a goalkeeper, a centre-back, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and a centre-forward.
With Celtic being increasingly dependent solely on Odsonne Edouard to lead the charge for them, it has been clear that he needs a partner to share the workload even if he decides to stay in the summer. One of the names being touted is the Trabzonspor striker Caleb Ekuban who has been linked to the club in the January transfer window as well and could now make the move to Neil Lennon ‘s team.
In case the club do decide to sell Edouard, West Browmwich Albion’s Charlie Austin could make a fine addition at Parkhead if the prospect of playing out in an Old Firm derby before hanging out his boots appeals to the former Southampton striker and also if he could trim down his wages a bit. Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton had previously spoken in favour of Neil Lennon pursuing a move for Austin saying :
“I think he’s an excellent player, I’ve played against him many times and he’s really good at what he does,”
“Whether it’ll depend on Edouard leaves or if the striker situation at Celtic, it could be an option. It’s definitely one that’s not going to break the bank so it could be an option.
“Whether he would come up and be a regular starter, I’m not so sure but I think as an option in your squad, he’d definitely be good to have. He’s got great experience, played at high levels and scored goals.
“I don’t think you can ever turn your nose up at a player like that. I do see it being an option for Lennon.”
Much of this transfer activity depends on how much money is actually available to the Hoops in the summer and a big part in that would be the future of their star striker Odsonne Edouard. Important to note here that Celtic value Odsonne much higher than either Tierney or Dembele given his prolific track record and age so we could be receiving a transfer inlay in the £40million to £45 million which would more than enable the club to rake in an annual profit while spending lavishly on their six to seven potential new additions.
This virus will put the kybosh on Lennon’s signing plans surely. Getting six in, no chance with the present situation. Get real.