Could the Premiership defender be the answer to Celtic’s problems at the back as they search for another centre-back in the January transfer window?
Neil Lennon has stated in the preceding week that he hopes to add defensive cover to his squad in order to supplement the backline after the unfortunate news that Christopher Jullien is set to spend three to four months on the sidelines due to a knee injury. Additionally, there are major concerns over Shane Duffy’s performances since his move to Celtic last summer.
Coupled with Nir Bitton’s deficiencies at centre-half being exposed in the their 1-0 defeat to the Rangers on Sunday, swooping for Declan Gallagher could be a sensible acquisition for the Hoops as Lennon looks to ingrain stability into the Hoops’ backline in the second half of the campaign.
Undoubtedly, the 29-year-old has enjoyed something of a late rise to prominence in Scottish football. Following some stellar club performances, Gallagher was handed his debut in 2019 away to Cyprus and impressed in a 2-1 win for the Scots.
He has not looked back since, playing a dominant role in Scotland’s EURO 2021 qualification and getting the better of the likes of Aleksandar Mitrović along the way, which has now prompted the Celtic hierarchy to keep tabs on him. Furthermore, another encouraging development in their pursuit of the Motherwell captain is that his contract expires at Fir Park in June 2021 and the player himself wants the move according to the Daily Record.
Crucially, the Hoops would either be capable of acquiring Gallagher on a pre-contract basis meaning they could secure his signature free of charge for next season. Alternatively, they could opt to tempt the Scot to Parkhead early for a nominal fee which would likely be accepted.
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Despite this, time is of the essence for the Parkhead club. Multiple sources have revealed within Gallagher’s contract there is a clause; that if he features in 25 fixtures this season for Motherwell, an automatic one-year extension is triggered. Intriguingly, this leaves him room for six more appearances before this clause is activated.
Potentially, this occurrence could scupper any chance of the former Hoops youth player obtaining a move to his boyhood club due to the regression of his availability. Being nearly thirty, it is unlikely the club would pay over the odds for the Rutherglen-born defender due to his relative lack of sell-on value.
Agreeably, the reigning Scottish champions should not have any problem convincing Declan Gallagher to make the short move from Lanarkshire to Glasgow due to his long-standing affiliation with them.
Nonetheless, the Hoops will need to act swiftly amid rumoured interest from Aberdeen, Hibernian and Blackburn Rovers for his signature. Let’s hope we see him in the green and white in the near future!