Luke Graham was given the chance to audition in front of Celtic for a potential move this summer, and the Dundee defender certainly didn’t disgrace himself.
Graham has refused to acknowledge any of the speculation and was in the starting XI but couldn’t stop Dundee from losing 2-1 to the Hoops.
The centre-back would be competing for a spot in Celtic’s XI with Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, and the data not only suggests that he was the busiest of the three, but that he is more than ready for the challenge.
Luke Graham catches the eye in Dundee vs Celtic clash
Although Sofascore gave Graham the lowest rating of 6.3, compared to Trusty and Scales’ 7.1 and 6.9, the 24-year-old still displayed his best attributes.
He recorded 10 defensive contributions, outperforming both Scales and Trusty, who each finished with eight. He also produced 10 recoveries, doubling Trusty’s total of five whereas Scales did not produce a single one.
| Stats | Luke Graham | Auston Trusty | Liam Scales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofascore rating | 6.3 | 7.1 | 6.9 |
| Defensive contribution | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Tackles won | 2/3 | 0/0 | 2/2 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Clearances | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| Blocked shots | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Recoveries | 10 | N/A | N/A |
| Ground duels won | 7/10 | 0/0 | 2/4 |
| Aerial duels won | 3/5 | 4/4 | 1/3 |
| Dribbled past | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Errors leading to goal | 1 | 0 | 0 |
His duel numbers further underline that point, with 10 ground duels contested and seven won, comfortably ahead of Scales’ two wins from four attempts. Trusty did not engage in a single ground duel. The Dundee man was beaten by Trusty when it came to aerial duels as the American won four out of four.
One area where Graham did let himself down was the error that led to the Celtic opener as he failed to deal with Kieran Tierney’s low cross.
Luke Graham could be an affordable option for Celtic
While Graham may not be an A-lister in terms of defensive options Celtic may be linked with this summer, he certainly wouldn’t be a bad option.
Not only does he have experience of the Scottish Premiership, he would also be considerably cheaper than some of the other players that may be on the shortlist.
Based on his performance against the Hoops, Graham has shown that he can step up to a higher level and represent the Hoops.
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