Reports down south suggest that Celtic might just be about to answer that question I posed yesterday about whether or not we’re going to sign a striker. According to a number of newspapers, one player has a better than fair chance of ending up in the Hoops.
His name is Matt Taylor. He plays for Bristol Rovers.
Is he the right sort of player? Does he have the right qualities? Let’s have a look.
Well let’s start with this. He’s not a target man, the position many of us feel is the one that ought to be filled first. He’s 5’9, an “off the shoulder” striker, a little like Leigh Griffiths in some respects. The question would automatically be asked if the two could play together in the same team. With the right setup, of course they could, but it would be unusual.
Taylor is 26, with a playing style that’s been described as “intelligent.” And he ticks the main box that every forward going player should, but so few in Celtic’s recent history have. He scores goals. He scores a lot of goals.
Here’s the problem: he scored those goals in League 2 and although his Bristol Rovers average is a goal every other game, roughly comparable to that Gary Hooper had at Scunthorpe, they were a full league level higher when he moved to Parkhead.
I’ve always said an ability to score goals is the only real quality any striker should be judged on, and as Hooper ticked that box so too does Matt Taylor. In addition, despite his lower league status, he was the top goal scorer in the Football League last year and has three C caps for England (and three goals at that level too.)
The concern would be that he’s not been tested at that higher level, but these days whenever a doubt like is expressed you only have to consider Jamie Vardy, who was a Conference player before Leicester signed him, and has gone on to glory and acclaim.
It’s rare though. It would be impossible to see this as anything other than a huge risk, and one that would ask questions as to why a more experienced player in Stokes was allowed to leave so that we could, essentially, take a punt and on a player who’s style is very similar to that of the guy we’ve got up front at the moment. It doesn’t really compute.
This is the second month straight that Celtic has been linked with him, but last month we had no manager, so this probably isn’t a Rodgers recommend. It does look a little like paper talk, with someone feeding the media the line about Celtic’s interest in order to get a better deal either for the player or the club. It’s a nice try and all that, but I think most of us would be shocked if this was Brendan’s idea of a signing to play in the Champions League.
He would be cheap. There’s that, but at 26 if you put him on a three or four year deal there’s not a lot of re-sale value either. That’s less important to me, and I suspect to Rodgers, than it has been to other Celtic bosses, but at that age I’d want a player to have more experience in a tougher footballing environment. The Jamie Vardy’s are rare.
Everyone knows we’re not going to get a top drawer, finished article, footballer and we know that. Those guys cost more than we’ve got or are likely to have, even on a free transfer. (Yes, guys, that means I’m not convinced by the Zlatan stories, sorry.)
But Europe beckons and we need someone who’s played in the top flight somewhere and ideally someone with a physical edge.
So is Matt “Taylor” made” for a move to Parkhead?
I think not. This one feels like paper talk.