Who knows how Celtic’s season would’ve changed had they managed to sign PSG talent Mitchel Bakker last summer?
The Hoops reportedly had a loan offer turned down last summer by the Ligue 1 champions [Sky Sports]. Shortly afterward, Bakker himself then came out and reaffirmed his commitment to Paris. The reason being that he was looking to break into their first-team this season [Sky Sports].
You could see the logic at the time. During the first half of the campaign, Bakker managed to bag 15 starts. He was battling it out with Abdou Diallo for the first-choice left-back spot.
But things have changed. These days, Bakker is a constant bench-warmer. He’s only managed four starts over the last four months, and even though he’s still getting minutes, it’s clear he’s lost the battle to be PSG’s first-choice [Transfermarkt].
What makes things even more interesting is Bakker’s own thoughts regarding his future. Speaking last month to Voetbal International, Bakker said: “Earlier this season there was a period when I made the most minutes of everyone in the team. At a certain point you are a kind of basic player. You have your value for the team and then suddenly you are no one at all. That eats at you.
“We’re going to have a look this summer. When will the market open? In June? There are already some clubs that have shown interest. I just want to play every week.”
Celtic should give PSG talent another bash
First off, we know that Bakker only wanted to stay in Paris in order to try and make a breakthrough with PSG. He now seems resigned to the idea that won’t be happening anytime soon.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, Bakker’s game-time has been limited, buy it hasn’t been non-existent. It’s highly unlikely that PSG would want to sell their second-choice left back. Not until they bring an alternative into the club.
But Bakker has stated that he wants games more than anything. Therefore Celtic should see if PSG would be interested in a loan offer this summer and see whether Bakker would be open to the prospect of a move to Glasgow. It’s clear his mindset has changed, so why not give it a go?
Celtic are in desperate need of left-back recruits this summer with Diego Laxalt heading back to AC Milan. Buying Bakker outright would be nothing more than a pipe dream, especially with a contract that runs for a further two years.
Of course, Bakker’s exploits this term won’t have gone unnoticed elsewhere. He claims clubs are already expressing an interest. That isn’t surprising and there could well be options in some of Europe’s top five leagues ready to take a punt.
However, from a Celtic perspective, it’s worth asking the question again. The goalposts have moved, and he would plug a big hole in the squad if we got it over the line.
In other news, this Celtic loanee may have suffered a major summer blow.
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