Celtic summer transfer target Gvidas Gineitis has been opening up on his struggles over recent months. The midfielder was a key target for the Bhoys, who delayed their bid to sign him due to their elimination from the Champions League qualifiers.
After a wake-up call in Europe early in the season, Celtic then decided to press to try to land Gineitis, but they came up short of Torino's asking price and ultimately failed to sign a replacement for Arne Engels, who was their best player.
That has left an almighty gap in the middle, which has shown up consistently in games against better teams in Europe. Meanwhile, while Torino have had a decent start to the season, currently ninth in Serie A, Gineitis is not best pleased with what he has produced.
He has said via Toro.it: “Personally, it wasn’t the best months of my life, but I’ve always trained with a lot of energy. I’m happy if I play, either straight away or as a substitute. I did what I could.”
Gineitis doesn't appear to be unhappy at Torino, though, adding on the topic of head coach Ignazio Abate: "The coach wants us to never be afraid and to play with the ball at our feet, whereas last year we played forward. This year we’ve changed a lot. We could have done more, but we’re happy with what we have achieved.”
Celtic may well make a fresh move for Gineitis in the January transfer window, given they still desperately need a replacement for Engels. The Bhoys don't have a dominant midfielder who can carry the ball from deep, and they lack legs.
Callum McGregor has done well domestically, but he has come up well short in Europe, where there are better and more agile midfields.
Martin O'Neill has even acknowledged that Celtic are not closing down space efficiently enough in the midfield, and Gineitis could well be seen as a fix for that.
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