With Wilfried Nancy arriving as the new manager of Celtic, one would expect the club to look towards the MLS for future signings. We saw them do the same when Ange Postecoglou was brought in from a league outside of Europe. In the following transfer windows, the club ended up signing players from the J-League, where the Australian was managing before his move to Parkhead.
Those signings proved to be the cornerstone of Celtic for the next several years. Kyogo was the face of the Postecoglou era. Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda remain starters. And while it did not work out for Tomoki Iwata at Parkhead, he has gone on to become a success story at Birmingham City, proving that the quality was always there.
Iwata is someone who will know the MLS well. And one imagine that he is well capable of identifying the right players, if Celtic are so convinced to take a risk on this appointment.
67 Hail Hail have come up with a list of three MLS stars who are out of contract in 2026 that Nancy could bring to Celtic. And one of the names is that of Argentine midfielder David Ayala.
Celtic tipped to sign 23-year-old Argentine midfielder
Ayala came through the ranks at Argentine side Estudiantes and currently plays for Portland Timbers in the MLS. He has represented Argentina at the youth levels but never featured for the senior team.
67 Hail Hail view him as someone who can be a future replacement for Callum McGregor. The club captain is 32 years of age and still playing at a high level. But eventually, he will slow down. So, why not work on that succession plan?
At 23 years of age, one would expect Ayala to improve from here, as he gains experience. Now, it remains to be seen if Celtic will make a move for him or not.