Anthony Joseph has hinted that Celtic will try to sign the English winger once a deal for Haissem Hassan is over the line.
There was some good news for Celtic today. Finally, it looks like a deal for Haissem Hassan is moving in the right direction after it had seemed stalled for the last few weeks.
The club have seen a bid for Fares Ghedjemis turned down recently. And it looks like it has brought them straight back to the negotiating table for Hassan.
According to a report from Anthony Joseph on Sky Sports, Celtic have made a bid for Hassan. The offer is an initial fee of £6 million, which could rise to £9 million if all bonuses are achieved.
Nothing has been agreed yet, but there's confidence that a deal can finally be struck after lengthy talks over the Egyptian winger.
That is not the end of the story either. It looks like Celtic already have their sights set on an English winger for once this deal gets over the line.
Celtic want English winger once first deal is done
According to the same report, if Celtic can get a deal to sign a right winger over the line, they will then also look to bring in someone on the left flank. Adrian Blake is among the names high up on the Hoops' shortlist for that spot.
Blake is a 21-year-old English winger who is currently playing his football in the Netherlands for FC Utrecht. He came through the youth ranks at Watford.
Interestingly, Blake is not someone who played a ton of football last season or put up incredible numbers. In fact, he played just 971 minutes in the Eredivisie, scoring and assisting twice each.
To be honest, looking at the underlying numbers, it is hard to see why Celtic have him on their radar to be honest. There is not a particular trait that stands out in his game.
Would Adrian Blake be the right signing for Celtic?
In most measurable categories, he was average or below that, even when his numbers are converted to a per-90-minute format.
So, either Celtic have noticed something that we are not seeing on the pitch yet. Or this is just another instance of poor scouting, just like Michel-Ange Balikwisha proved to be.
Anyways, for now, Celtic's focus has to be on getting a deal over the line for Hassan. If or when that happens, they can look at other wingers they want.
Also, there are other areas of the pitch where they need to strengthen first. The midfield spot is one that comes to mind immediately. The Hoops need to bring in some competition for Viljami Sinisalo as well.
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