Celtic returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon as the Hoops bounced back from an Old Firm derby defeat before the international break.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were without star striker Kyogo Furuhashi who will miss the next seven games through injury but that didn’t seem to matter as Albian Ajeti found form.
On the chalkboard
Celtic also happened to be without two of their key players from years gone by in Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie.
Both players sealed moves away from Paradise on transfer deadline day as Edouard joined Crystal Palace and Christie headed to Bournemouth.
The former began Palace’s game with Spurs on Saturday on the bench but appeared late on and scored twice on a sensational debut.
However, it could actually be the latter who Celtic end up missing more. Christie was in sublime form at the start of the season, creating more key passes a match (4) than anybody else in the Bhoys side.
His early season performances were in stark contrast to the type of displays that we saw from the Scot last term when he scored only once in his last 11 Premiership outings.
The solution
One way Celtic could go about replacing the Scotland international is by signing Jed Wallace.
Reports from Football League World suggested this week that the Hoops were one of a number of sides interested in signing the £6.3m-rated player.
Wallace is currently contracted to Millwall but is out of contract next summer and thus, could be signed on a pre-contract agreement once January rolls around.
Also interested in the attacking midfielder are Rangers, West Brom, West Ham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace.
By fending off the competition to sign him, Celtic could discover their brand new Christie.
Described as a “top player” by Lions boss Gary Rowett, the 27-year-old is capable of scoring and creating goals in abundance.
He has already scored three goals and assisted two strikes in seven outings in the second-tier of English football this term. That adds to the 18 goal involvements he registered throughout the 2020/21 season.
A closer look at the tools they both possess also displays a host of similarities. Last season, Christie registered 2.8 shots, 2.1 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game.
In comparison, Wallace had 2.2 shots, 2.2 key passes and 1.2 dribbles a match.
With that in mind, Celtic could find their direct replacement by luring him to Glasgow next year. On a free transfer, this would be the perfect acquisition for Postecoglou to make.