Martin O’Neill must be scratching his head at the mess he has inherited at Celtic, with the Parkhead hierarchy assembling a squad so devoid of quality in key areas.
The 73-year-old previously oversaw one of the club’s finest periods of modern times, wielding the likes of Chris Sutton, John Hartson and the great Henrik Larsson to devastating effect in the early 2000s.
As for the current crop, the pool of strikers couldn’t be any less appealing. Johnny Kenny, Shin Yamada, Callum Osmand and an injury-prone Kelechi Iheanacho – a quartet that would have been unthinkable just a matter of months ago.
New man Tomas Cvancara is set to be thrown into the mix, although while any new signing deserves time and patience, this is a deal that has eyebrows raised, not least considering he has scored just twice so far this season.
Any hope of the 25-year-old catching fire at Parkhead will likely rest on the service provided to him, with further forwards still needed this month.
Celtic battling to sign another forward after Cvancara
To take the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and, to a lesser degree, Adam Idah out of the equation, and not adequately replace them, is simply baffling, with Celtic’s summer recruits yet to truly impress in Scottish football.
Sebastian Tounekti has scored just three times, including his recent effort against Auchinleck Talbot, while long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha has yet to score at all, amid what has been a simply forgettable period to date for the £5m man.
With Daizen Maeda’s long-term future still up in the air, Jota still sidelined and Yang Hyun-jun yet to convince on a consistent basis, the addition of a new winger is a necessity before the window closes.
According to reports in Spain then, Celtic are battling it out with Premier League strugglers West Ham United for the signing of Girona winger Yaser Asprilla, with the 22-year-old in line for an exit from the LaLiga side this month.
As per the report, while the Hammers are leading the race for the Colombian’s signature, the Hoops are among the clubs also in the mix, amid the prospect of sealing a loan move for the former Watford man.
A permanent deal, at least for Celtic, appears highly unlikely, considering he is valued at around €35m (£30m), although a loan fee is likely to be ‘more affordable’.
Why Asprilla could be perfect for Cvancara
After such woes in the centre-forward department this season – with Kenny the leading number nine on just six goals – the pressure is on for Cvancara to perform from the off, not least considering the Czech marksman is arriving on an initial loan deal.
Recent evidence would suggest that the 6 foot 4 striker isn’t exactly brimming with confidence, however, with his struggles in Turkey coming after a spell at parent club Borussia Monchengladbach, which yielded just eight goals in 54 games in total.
That return will rightly have alarm bells ringing, although Cvancara showcased in the past that he can be an asset, scoring 24 times in just 49 outings for Sparta Prague.
Perhaps, he merely needs regular game time and regular service, the latter of which could be provided by Asprilla, a player hailed in the past as a “true sensation” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Also lauded as “one of the highest ceiling talents in the Championship” during his time at Vicarage Road, as per analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson, the Colombian would arrive at Parkhead with a real reputation, if a deal can be pulled off.
His time at Girona hasn’t exactly gone to plan over the last 18 months or so, with just six goals and assists in 50 games to date, although the youngster previously dazzled in England’s second tier, with 17 goal involvements in 86 games for the Hornets.
That record included ten assists, highlighting why he could be a dream for Cvancara in the final third, with Asprilla a real creative outlet, be it from the right flank or an attacking midfield role.
|
Asprilla – 24/25 LaLiga stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (*per game) |
Record |
|
Games |
27 |
|
Starts |
15 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Big chances missed |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
|
Pass accuracy* |
1.0 |
|
Key passes* |
81% |
|
Successful dribbles* |
1.1 |
Highlighted as being “highly creative and versatile” by Kulig, the 11-cap Colombia international chalked up 13 goals and assists in his final season in the EFL Championship back in 2023/24, a league deemed to be the seventh best in the world, according to Global Football Rankings.
That campaign saw his creative abilities come to the fore as he created seven big chances and averaged 1.7 key passes per game, as per Sofascore, indicating why Cvancara could feed off his service as part of a new-look Celtic attack.
With Asprilla cutting inside onto his favoured left foot, Cvancara would then be the ideal target man to pick out in the penalty area, with O’Neill and co having been lacking that physical focal point through the middle this season.
Having another dynamic, left-footed winger, in the mould of Kuhn, could breathe new life into the forward line in Glasgow, with the race now on to see just who will win the Girona man’s signature.
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