According to The Herald, free agent Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that he would welcome the opportunity to play for Celtic before the end of his career.

What’s the story?

Agbonlahor was released by Aston Villa at the end of last season after spending his entire career to date - aside from two brief loan spells - with the historic club. After signing his first professional senior contract in 2005, Agbonlahor spent the next thirteen seasons at Villa Park, racking up well over 300 appearances for the club.

The former England international is now available on a free transfer and appears keen on making the move the Celtic Park.

However, the reigning Scottish Champions should think twice before offering Agbonlahor a deal. Whilst he could potentially prove to be a useful back up option, Brendan Rodgers should have his sights set far higher than the 31-year-old.

Think bigger

Having failed to qualify for the Champions League group stages for the first time in Rodgers’ tenure, the Glasgow giants ought to be keen to avoid any further actions that could be considered evidence of the club moving backwards - especially after a disappointing summer in the transfer market that saw the Northern Irishman come under scrutiny from the club's supporters.

Signing Agbonlahor would be indicative of exactly that kind of regression. Having been deemed unsuitable for Villa’s squad, and having then failed to secure a new deal with any other Championship outfit, the unattached attacker is clearly not operating at the standard required by Celtic.

With the likes of Samir Nasri, Bakary Sako and Balazs Dzsudzsak all still available as free transfers, the Bhoys should seek to be more ambitious in their efforts to bolster their squad. A club of Celtic’s stature must be able to look beyond the likes of Agbonlahor if they’re to stand any chance of making an impression in European competition.