RIGHT BACK: THE PROBLEM THAT WON’T GO AWAY.
Since the window opened, we’ve lost Mikael Lustig, Jeremy Toljan and Gamboa.
Three right backs gone, and none of them would have been a guaranteed starter had they stayed.
This is the position that’s been bothering fans, and the club, for a few years now.
There have been names thrown about, of course, but none of them on the level of just two years ago when we were linked with the superb right back at Atalanta and with a move for a guy who ended up at Valencia; they are the ones that got away, and no mistake.
Since this window opened we’ve been linked with a veritable Who’s Who from around football, mostly England.
George Baldock at Sheffield Utd, ex-Celtic right back Adam Matthews (available on a free, and as a backup I think most would take that), Arsenal’s Carl Jenkinson, Paddy McNair, Kilmarnock’s young Scottish defender Stephen O’Donnell and, lately, Luton’s Jack Stacey.
All told, he’s a very fine footballer and would do a good job in the Hoops.
That deal is probably the best sounding of all of them so far.
On top of that, a mooted move for Peter Ankerson of Copenhagen proved to be just paper talk; Celtic flatly denied any interest in the player.
This is the problem that just won’t go away. It is right Celtic are said to be taking their time on it and not just scooping up someone in a panic buy … but we’ve got our first European game in a few short weeks and a lot of people are beginning to … well, panic.