What Is The Positive Case For Celtic Signing Kevin Nisbett From Hibs?

In the aftermath of my last piece about Kevin Nisbett I was asked if all I can see is a downside to the idea. I actually think that’s a harsh interpretation; there are definitely aspects to it which are positive and I thought that I had listed them clearly.

He is a good player, and he would help us in terms of our European squad registration issue. He would not cost the Earth. He’s a known quality, and as a third choice striker there is nothing whatsoever wrong with the idea. More positives than negatives.

There is a rather large negative though.

If we’re looking to replace Giakoumakis he’s not the guy who would come to mind. Not the sort of player who would come to mind. Will he genuinely take us to the next level, as you would hope our next striker could?

And here’s where the guy who asked me that has a point because there’s actually something that I did not articulate properly and should have; Kevin Nisbett has shown that he’s very, very good at what we would call “levelling up.”

When he was at Raith Rovers and scoring goals, people automatically wondered if it was the level he was playing at which made him look like a good player. They were in League One.

Dunfermline were the club who moved for him next and they were playing in the Championship. So that was a big step up for him. But what do you know? He scored goals for them.

So good was he, that Hibs came in for him and they were not the only SPFL side who were in the running. Others will regret not pushing harder. The real question then was whether or not he could score goals in the top flight. And once again, he proved he can.

In short, Nisbett has shown that every time he’s been questioned, every time people have wondered if he’s “found his level” he proves that he can move to the next one and adapt to it.

He has proved perfectly capable of improving and rising to that challenge.

At Celtic, under Ange, would he find an even greater level than that which he’s already shown? And you know, the only honest answer that I can offer is that we don’t actually know.

My instinct says no, but I have been wrong before and might be this time.

Certainly, a player who has proved capable of rising through the ranks and impressing wherever he’s been is somebody who should not be simply overlooked. He’s better than that, and that’s where I am prepared to concede the point somewhat.

If he signed for Celtic he would, of course, have the full support of the whole fan-base and the news that the club would not even sanction a move until they had done a proper analysis on his game and whether or not he could fit into the style is more than just welcome … that’s how it should be done, and that’s part of why we’ve barely put a foot wrong lately.

So … yeah, maybe I was a little hard on him and on the idea.

Because if it happens it would happen because people at Celtic have seen how he’s proved that he can rise to every challenge and overcome the doubters … and maybe he would here.

I personally think we can do better, but that in itself is a bit of a naff statement because of course we can; with the right funding we could have had Erling Haaland himself.

The question is whether or not we can do better within the limits of what we can afford and based on who we’re scouting and where. I still believe it. But only time will tell.