The Aston Villa has been named as a potential transfer target for Celtic after Martin O'Neill was spotted at one of his games.
Celtic should be looking to strengthen their ranks in the summer transfer window, no matter how this season ends, with two trophies, one or none. This squad is nowhere near good enough.
Celtic are used to winning comfortably in Scotland. Even last season, they had 92 points and scored 112 goals over 38 games.
Those numbers have dropped drastically this season. They have managed to find the back of the net just 58 times in 32 league outings. Also, even if they win their remaining six games in hand, which is questionable, they will have 82 points.
That is a big difference. If you can't remember the last time Celtic won a domestic game convincingly, it is because they rarely have.
So, where has it gone wrong for Celtic this season? Is it the sign of a squad that has grown stagnant and needs to be refreshed? Is this a result of key players being injured? Is this an indication that other teams in Scotland are getting better?
Perhaps it is a combination of all of those things. One thing is for sure, Celtic cannot allow things to remain standstill and let things continue as they are right now. They need to take back control.
The first step to that will be signing quality players in the summer. And it looks like work might already be underway on that front although there is no clarity on who the club's next manager will be when Martin O'Neill steps down at the end of the season.
According to Transfer Feed, O'Neill attended the EFL Championship game between Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers. The manager was accompanied by Mark Fotheringham. One mentioned as a potential target is Lewis Dobbin, who is on loan from Aston Villa.
Dobbin is a winger, but has played a lot more centrally as well, and has enjoyed a solid loan campaign with Preston North End. In 36 games across all competitions, he has scored eight goals and provided seven assists.
Dobbin came through the youth ranks at Everton and made 20 senior appearances for the club before moving to Aston Villa for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of £10 million.
He has never made a senior appearance for Aston Villa though, instead spending most of his time out on loan at a variety of clubs. His spell at Preston North End has most certainly been his most fruitful.
Now 23 years of age, it is time for Dobbin to start thinking about his long-term future if he does not have a first-team role at Aston Villa lined up for next season.
A move to Celtic could be the right step for someone like Dobbin. Of course, any move would depend on what kind of transfer fee Aston Villa want for the 23-year-old.
Celtic have signed one player from Aston Villa in the recent past, that being Viljami Sinisalo, who is now the first-choice goalkeeper. Can they make it two next summer?
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