Celtic recently added a centre-back to their ranks. The club have officially announced the arrival of Jahmai Simpson-Pusey from Manchester City, on a straight loan deal. The 19-year-old is very highly rated and has played a little bit of senior football for Pep Guardiola's side before arriving at Parkhead. But is he ready to be a starter for Brendan Rodgers' team?
Most probably not. But then, the same thing would have been said about Jeremie Frimpong, who had not even made a single appearance for Manchester City, and he was a regular starter for Celtic just a few months after his arrival. So, you just never know. So, don't count Simpson-Pusey out before he has kicked a ball for the Hoops.
At the same time, most Celtic fans would be happy if a more experienced player was brought in, and on a long-term basis. If reports are accurate, the club do have their sights set on a Slovakian international.
As reported by L'Unione Sarda, Adam Obert is wanted by Celtic, but even the Scottish champions failed to reach the right figures to reach an agreement. A raise will be necessary to see him leave Cagliari.
Celtic make offer for Slovakian international centre-back
So, it looks like an offer has come in from Celtic already to try and sign Obert from Cagliari. But it did not reach the numbers that the Italian club were looking for in order to sanction an exit. Let's see if a higher bid is made in the future. This is certainly a situation worth keeping an eye on.
It is worth mentioning that Obert has not only played Serie A-level football for Cagliari, but he is also a full international for Slovakia. He has about a dozen caps to his name for his national team.
He is also still just 22 years of age. So, one would expect him to get better with time. Centre-backs usually improve with added experience.
That being said, that is not to say that Obert is an inexperienced player by any means. He has made 86 appearances for Cagliari already. And his versatility will be attractive to Celtic as well. While the 22-year-old has played most of his football as a centre-back, he is capable of operating on the left side of the flank. Admittedly, that is another area where the Hoops need to improve, as they need a cover option for Kieran Tierney.