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Celtic sign 19-year-old Kundai Benyui from Ipswich Town

By Andrew Coppens

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 23: The Billy McNeill statue outside the stadium prior to kick off during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between Celtic FC and FC Barcelona at Celtic Park Stadium on November 23, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 23: The Billy McNeill statue outside the stadium prior to kick off during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between Celtic FC and FC Barcelona at Celtic Park Stadium on November 23, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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It appears that Brendan Rodgers is going to spend most of this offseason concentrating on shoring up his midfield. After a few weeks of nothing in the offseason, Celtic have now announced two midfield signings in as many weeks.

On Thursday, Celtic announced that 19-year-old Kundai Benyu had signed on from English side Ipswich Town. According to the post, Benyu will be joining Celtic immediately in preseason training in Austria.

His deal is for four years at Parkhead, and Celtic got him over offers from English sides like Aston Villa and even bigger clubs like Tottenham and West Ham. However, it appears the reputation of Brendan Rodgers’ work with younger players was a driving factor in Benyui signing for Celtic.

That much was mentioned in Benyui’s statement on the Celtic website:

"“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Celtic. It’s a massive honour to sign for the Scottish champions and one of the world’s truly great clubs. It’s also a great opportunity for me to continue to develop as a footballer under Brendan Rodgers. I’m looking forward to meeting up with my new Celtic team-mates. I know there’s a lot of hard work ahead of me but I am ready for this, I’m looking forward to the challenge and I can’t wait to get started.”"

Benyui spent most of last season at on loan with Aldershot, but that loan spell proved to be a smart move for the youngster. He caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs out there, scoring five goals in 23 appearances for the National League side.

He’ll join a crowded midfield for summer training, but along with fellow youngster Eboue Kouassi, it appears Celtic are looking to the future of their central midfield this summer. With Scott Brown coming off a great season, but also on the downside of his career in terms of age and few impressing next to him last season, this could be a very interesting move.

It also appears that Celtic are adding a central midfielder that likes to link up in the attack, which was lacking at times outside of Collum McGregor’s play.

Will this move take time to pan out, or will a summer of training turn Benyui in to a real option for this club in the 2017-18 season? Time will tell, but it should also be telling that big clubs in England were in after him before Celtic swooped in.

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This certainly seems like a smart, low-cost move for the Bhoys and smart for the long-term future.