When was the last time Celtic had a proper defensive midfielder? It has most certainly been a while. They have tried a few times for sure. Ismaila Soro had a little run in the starting XI under Neil Lennon. Tomoki Iwata played a bit under Brendan Rodgers as well. But overall, managers have not been able to find a combination to make that role work in the team.
Now, on most days, Celtic do not need a defensive midfielder. They are rarely on the back foot against domestic opposition. Of course, it did happen quite a bit when Wilfried Nancy was the manager of the club, but that period was an anomaly rather than the norm.
In big European games and against the Rangers, Celtic do struggle to control the midfield at times though. On those occasions, it does feel like the club would benefit if they had a defensive midfielder. They are now being linked with one already playing in the Scottish Premiership.
As reported by Rudy Galetti, Celtic and Fiorentina have shown interest in Miguel Chaiwa. They have requested updated information on the Hibernian player, who is among the profiles admired by both teams to strengthen their midfield.
Celtic make move looking to sign international midfielder
Chaiwa is 21 years old and currently on the books at Hibernian. Before joining the Scottish side, he was at Swiss club BSC Young Boys. At the international level, he has already represented Zambia on 11 occasions.
The issue with the link is that Chaiwa is not even a nailed-on starter for Hibernian. He is not someone who has taken Scottish football by storm and established himself as one of the best in the Premiership. So far this season, he has started only six times for them in the league. As a result, it is hard to imagine that he will come in at Celtic and find himself as a vital part of Martin O'Neill's side anytime soon, if ever.
If a move for Chaiwa did end up happening, it would be a project signing at best. What Celtic need right now is first-team-ready quality. If they don't bring that in, they will be letting down O'Neill, who has done a tremendous job with the options available to him, but does need some help.
One can only hope that O'Neill gets the backing that he needs and deserves. But you never know when it comes to the Celtic board.