With Ange Postecoglou now sitting comfortably in the Celtic hot seat, their preparations for the new season are up and running.
The Hoops are getting busy in the transfer window and if you believe reports, they have started their activity.
What’s the word?
Defence seems to be the order of the day for the Bhoys at the moment with Celtic
opening talks with the agent of Brazilian defender Riccieli.
However, he’s not the only man on the club’s radar, with flying full-back Valentin Rosier now attracting their attention too.
That’s according to journalist Ekrem Konur who has
tweeted a variety of updates on the 24-year-old’s future this week.
Konur first
reported that Marseille were close to finalising a deal to sign the right-back this summer.
However, they have a battle on their hands to sign the Sporting Lisbon defender for a fee in the region of
€7m (£5.9m).
That’s because Celtic have now
made an offer for Rosier and are
joined in the race by Spartak Moscow, who have also begun talks.
A big upgrade
After losing Jeremie Frimpong last January, Celtic desperately needed to find themselves a new right-back.
They thought they’d aided their cause with the temporary addition of Jonjoe Kenny but his loan spell at Paradise was pretty disastrous.
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Kenny failed to show the sort of form that saw him nominated for the Rookie of the Year award in the Bundesliga with Schalke, proving to be a
defensive liability.
The Everton full-back was caught out on a number of occasions, particularly in the Old Firm matches when his lapses in concentration led to Rangers goals.
With that in mind, signing a new right-back this summer was of utmost importance for Postecoglou.
Although they face competition for Rosier, landing him in the coming months would be an astute piece of business.
After all, he has been one of the most promising young players in his position over the last few years.
He learnt his trade in France but following a move to Sporting Lisbon, he spent last term on loan at Turkish club Besiktas.
Rosier not only caught the eye going forward – registering
six assists – but he was also adept defensively. Frimpong was often rampant in the final third but Kenny struggled in that department, registering just
one goal involvement after penning terms in Glasgow.
Although the Hoops will need a full-back capable of going forward, they will need someone who can clean up their shoddy defence. Fortunately, Rosier could be the man in this department.
He made
2.2 tackles per match last term while producing 2.1 interceptions per game. For context, both of those numbers are
higher than any other player at Celtic in 2020/21.
Add a glistening review from his head coach at Rodez, Laurent Peyrelade and the lure of signing him gets greater:
“The first time I saw him was during a trial when I arrived. Every year, we bring four to five young people from the club to test them. He played on the right, I think. He had the athletic qualities of a modern, dynamic footballer, with a great capacity for acceleration,” Peyrelade
said.
With his athletic attributes in mind and his capability to defend, he’d be perfect for Celtic.
They conceded
16 more goals than Rangers last term so need someone who is going to improve their backline. Rosier would certainly do that.
