Brazilian Report: Gremio talent to leave his club at the end of the season; Celtic the main option

By David Walton

November 16, 2021

Brazilian outlet Globo has reported that Gremio midfielder Fernando Henrique will leave the club at the end of the season, with Celtic the “most relevant” option.

The report states that Gremio boss Vagner Mancini has no plans to use the talent in the coming weeks after only making 16 appearances in total this term [Transfermarkt].

It’s been just under 2 months since Henrique made a matchday squad for the Serie A club. And Globo reports that the chances of him staying beyond the end of the Brazilian Serie A season, which ends next month, are minimal.

Globo state that when they spoke to the club’s vice-president, Denis Abrahao, he simply put Henrique’s absences down to the competition ahead of him for a starting spot.

Celtic were first linked with the midfielder last month when Globo claimed the Hoops had made contact with the Brazilian club. This was regarding a possible January transfer as they tried to understand his current situation.

Ange Postecoglou has already stated that he plans to bring a midfielder to the club during the winter window [Daily Record].

Fernando Henrique to Celtic still feels a touch out there

The prospect of signing the 20-year-old Brazilian talent still feels a touch unrealistic. Celtic don’t necessarily go shopping in Brazil when looking for a new midfielder.

Added to that, he still lacks senior experience for a player at 20 years of age. His 16 outings this season for Gremio make up all of the first-team games he has under his belt throughout his entire career.

Granted, Ange Postecoglou is all about giving young players an opportunity and a platform if he feels they’re good enough. He’s also open to shopping in markets untouched by others. After all, just look at how well Kyogo Furuhashi has been performing since his arrival from the J League.

It would be a touch surprising if Henrique is the first choice on Celtic’s radar. You would imagine the manager will primarily be looking for some more experience, especially considering he’ll have to make some form of impact during the second half of what is shaping up to be a high-intensity title-race.

But we know better than to question Ange’s recruitment decisions. He’s the one who’s managed to successfully carry out a large-scale rebuilding job whilst improving results and performances at the same time.

If Henrique is indeed his first choice, who are we to complain?

In other news, St Johnstone suffer training ground blow just days before crucial Celtic semi-final