It is no secret that Celtic needed to sign a striker or two on deadline day, especially after they allowed Adam Idah to head to Swansea City. Yes, the Irishman had been struggling for form in front of goal and had been on the receiving end of a ton of criticism as well. But still, he was someone who had scored 20 goals while playing mostly a cover role last season.
Almost inexplicably, Celtic did not sign a single striker on deadline day though. They saw a move for Kasper Dolberg fall apart after Ajax made a late swoop and eventually got the deal done.
On the other hand, Celtic tried to bring in some other strikers as well but none of those rumours ended up anywhere substantial. And now, we are in a tough spot.
Yes, Celtic have signed a striker as a free agent as Kelechi Iheanacho has been brought in to reunuite with Brendan Rodgers. But is that enough? The Nigerian has struggled for form for many years now. In January, he had moved to Middlesbrough on loan but only managed a solitary goal in 15 games for them. That is not the kind of output the Hoops will be looking for.
Celtic tipped to sign £10 million striker for free
So, Celtic could definitely do with another option up top. There are a few free agents available worth having a look at.
The Scottish Sun recently put out a list of three free agents that Celtic could target instead of Iheanacho. One of the names there was that of Emmanuel Dennis.
Now, Celtic have already signed Iheanacho. But that does not that they should not go for another option as well. Ultimately, the talk was always about them targeting two strikers on deadline day. One of those spots still remains vacant.
Dennis is available as a free agent right now after mutually agreeing to end his contract with Nottingham Forest a few days back. The club had signed him from Watford back in the summer of 2022 for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of £10 million.
Dennis had played some decent football for Watford, scoring 10 Premier League goals in the 21/22 season. He failed to replicate that form at Nottingham Forest though, only playing 25 times for the club and scoring twice. Instead, he spent most of his time out on loan and is now a free agent.
Of course, many would argue that Celtic should be targeting strikers with a better record than 6 goals over the past three seasons. And we agree. That being said, considering the situation that the Hoops find themselves in, a short-term contract for someone like Dennis would not be the worst idea in the world.