da heads bet： Andre Wisdom has been heavily linked with a move to Glasgow this summer to link up with former manager Brendan Rodgers.
da jogodeouro： While Celtic’s defence is more than capable of performing domestically, it’s in needing of something of a reboot to compete on the European stage.
The Liverpool man is unlikely to feature much for Jurgen Klopp with the German expected to reshape his squad this summer.
There’s no room for mistakes with Celtic’s recruitment anymore and Rodgers will be keen that his first signing makes an immediate impact on the first-team.
Here are FIVE reason Andre Wisdom would be a good signing for the Bhoys…
Versatility
Wisdom has the ability to play in two positions, at least. He grew up in youth football as a centre back but has played the majority of his professional games on the right flank in a defensive role. He has featured for the Liverpool first-team in central defence too, showing that Rodgers would have no issue deploying him there if need be.
With Celtic looking to use their money efficiently, Wisdom could provide defensive cover and compete for places with the majority of the Bhoys’ defenders, something that is immediately appealing.
Rodgers’ faith in him
It goes without saying that if you sign a player from another club you at least have some faith in his ability, but Rodgers’ relationship with Wisdom goes deeper than that.
Wisdom had played under three previous managers before Rodgers arrived at Liverpool but didn’t receive his professional debut until the new Celtic boss took charge.
Despite spending the majority of Rodgers’ reign at Liverpool out on loan, on his return from West Bromwich Albion he was given a lengthy four year contract by the club.
Premier League experience
At 23, Wisdom isn’t quite the young upstart he’s been portrayed as in some of the transfer talk. He has close to 50 English Premier League appearances across three clubs to his name, with another full season in the Championship at Derby County also under his belt
He has enough experience to come in and make an impact in the first-team at Celtic, then. The Premier League is undoubtedly a higher level than the Scottish Premiership and is a good primer for European football, too.
His strengths are his pace, physicality and ability to defend, so he could perhaps provide a more solid foundation on the right side than either Mikael Lustig or Saidy Janko, who are more prone to attack.
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Room to grow
While the apprenticeship is complete with all those first-team appearances, Wisdom likely hasn’t reached his full potential. If he signs for Celtic, the club could well be getting the best years of his career.
He provides value, too. We’ve seen plenty of players in recent years using Celtic as a stepping stone to big money moves elsewhere. It’s a reality of the market and something the Bhoys have done well managing for the most part.
Rumoured to be available for just £3m, a few seasons at Celtic could add a significant sum onto that value, reaping rewards for the Scottish champions.
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A right back is a priority
Despite Mikael Lustig’s consistency in appearances last season, there have been significant injury problems for the Swedish defender in the past. He’s also at EURO 2016 for most of this summer, meaning Celtic lack numbers on the right of defence heading into the European qualifiers. Even if Sweden exit early, Lustig will still need some sort of break.
Back-up, Saidy Janko, has also suffered from injury problems and while showing flashes of potential, he doesn’t have the experience that Wisdom has.
He’s also a different type of player than both and in games where Celtic are unlikely to have most of the possession could provide more stability than the two already established at the club.
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