The Latest Celtic Striker Story Makes Sense. It’s Not As Mad As Some People Believe.

Amidst all the talk about Celtic midfielders and who we might sign if Matt O’Riley decides to leave, there is one interesting story in the media about a possible striker target to fill that tricky third spot. I’m actually intrigued by this one because it makes a lot of sense, especially as the player in question is available on a free transfer.

The player in question is Republic of Ireland striker Aaron Connolly.

He’s wanted by a couple of clubs in the English Championship, but it seems pretty obvious that Celtic would be a far bigger draw for the player. If we made a move, we would stand a good chance of bringing him in as a backup forward.

He’s young, but he’s got experience, and he would come to the club intending to stake his claim. That’s crucial because we don’t want a player who’s content to sit on the bench. We want a third striker who’s here to make a stand, impress the manager and the fans, and who’s here to say, “Don’t presume these two guys in front of me will stay in front of me.”

Connolly isn’t exactly a prolific goal scorer—his record is about one goal every four matches. But, to be fair, Idah didn’t arrive here with any great goal-scoring record either. A lot depends on the system the team plays and the manager’s ability to make good players better. As I discussed yesterday, Rodgers is a master at that. If he thinks Connolly can do a job, it’s because the player has certain attributes that the manager has identified and likes.

And it’s because Connolly isn’t a prolific goal scorer and because he’s still relatively young—at 24, with a lot to learn—that I think he’s the perfect type of player. As a free transfer, you’re not taking much of a risk if you give him a three-year deal.

There’s nothing about this that doesn’t make sense.

After a long spell at Brighton, most of it spent on loan at other clubs, he went to Hull and signed a one-year contract with them. At the end of that contract, either he walked away or the club released him. Now he’s looking for the next club and the next phase of his career.

He’s the perfect type of player to bring in as a backup because he won’t be demanding first-team football right away, not at the level Celtic operates at, but he will work hard to make the most of his chances when they come.

This is a player you can develop into a proper talent over the next year or two. A player who will get time on the pitch when the manager wants to rotate the squad, and a guy who will work diligently in the background to improve, because he knows that’s the only way he’s going to get a proper run in the side.

I like players who have a lot to prove. I like guys who come into the club and make it their business to prove their doubters wrong. So, if Celtic ends up making this move, there will be people who will say it’s a cheap bit of business and that we’re lowballing it, but they’ll not be thinking it through.

What do you expect for a third-choice striker who’s going to be the backup man? We’re not going to spend £3-4 million on that player, and that’s just the fact of it.

So, this is the type of guy you’d be looking to bring in, and it can work for us because, first, he’s hungry; second, he’s got experience and isn’t just a project punt; and third, as a Galway boy, he would know all about Celtic already and has probably played with Adam Idah in the Irish U21 team. He’s probably a huge Brendan Rodgers fan and would keenly soak up everything the manager tells him to do. It could also prove to be one of the easiest bits of business in the window.

Again, as I mentioned earlier with the midfield article, you’d think the club knows who its targets are in every position, and we’re just waiting to push the button on them.

Connolly may have offers and might be waiting to find out what the best one is, but I have to think that if Celtic makes an offer, with Champions League football and the chance to work with Rodgers, we would blow the other offers out of the water.

So, I’m guessing this one’s worth watching, and it may have some legs. This might not just be a rumour, because it all makes perfect sense. Even if you’re not a fan of the player, Celtic fans will give the guy a chance, especially as he’s not being asked to step up immediately and fill the boots of Kyogo or Idah. He’ll be a background player—until he isn’t, until he’s ready to step forward and stake a claim. And then it’ll all be up to him.