Celtic have been sent a warning by transfer target’s manager

Celtic have been sent a transfer warning by the Charlton Athletic manager regarding Alfie Doughty, who has been extensively linked with the Hoops.

Celtic were linked with Charlton Athletic midfielder Alfie Doughty throughout the course of the summer. Back then, the Hoops were in search of a left-back, a position the 20-year-old is capable of playing.

In fact, Neil Lennon’s side had made several bids for Doughty although they were rebuffed. Ultimately, the club would sign Diego Laxalt although reports claimed that they still retained their interest in the youngster.

Despite Charlton Athletic’s relegation from the Championship, Doughty had managed to catch the eye of the Hoops. And the League One did very well to keep hold of him. Although that might not be for long as his contract runs out in the summer and he will be free to talk with clubs in January regarding a future move.

The League One side’s manager, Lee Bowyer, has warned interested clubs that he might not be the same player after suffering a serious hamstring injury that is set to keep him out for months. As reported by London News Online, he said:

"“We have to look and see how he comes back from injury – he’s already had one setback before he even got off the bed. It’s such a difficult injury that he’s trying to come back from for someone of his age.“Of course we want him to sign, but he has to be careful as well. If he comes back none of us know if he’ll be the same player – because his game is all about pace and he has done his hamstring.“In my whole career I did about two hamstrings! That’s because I wasn’t gifted with pace. If you look it is the players who have pace that tend to have problems with their hamstrings.“For Alfie, at this young age, it’s a bad one to have. No-one knows how he is going to come back yet. Rehab is really, really important for him. If he comes back and he’s the Alfie of before and decided not to sign the contract then that is something we’ll have to revisit.”"

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Now, this is a genuine concern. A serious hamstring injury can hurt a player who is reliant on pace. But then, this could also be a way of warning off clubs in January. If Doughty sees that there isn’t much interest in his services, then he could be more open to extending his stay at the League One side.

We will have to see what effect this news has on Celtic’s transfer plans. Doughty is clearly someone who they wanted in the summer and could probably get for free in January. But would it be wise to go after a player who is coming off of a serious injury.

Then there is the small issue of how the club have started their 10IAR campaign. This is the time to go after players who can come in, make an impact and turn the season around immediately. Is Doughty that kind of a player? Most probably not. He is someone that the Hoops would expect to develop into a first-team star over time. Thus, it will be interesting to see whether they still are interested.