‘He can’t think like that’: Chris Sutton says Celtic have a player who is ‘a little different’

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Chris Sutton thinks Celtic new boy Luis Palma is ‘a little different’ after his cameo from the bench during the 3-0 win at ten-man Ross County. 

On paper, it sounds like it was a simple win, but it wasn’t. Celtic needed to dig deep during the late stages of the second half to kill the game off and maintain the eight-point lead at the top of the Premiership table.

With Celtic pushing to kill the game off, Brendan Rodgers introduced Luis Palma into the action just after the hour mark and he probably produced his best performance since joining the club.

From his 30-yard belter to make it 2-0, before his clever little dink at the far post for James Forrest to score his first goal of the season, it was magical stuff and Chris Sutton added that Luis Palma is ‘a little different’, as he told Sky Sports Football (04/11/23 at 2:45 pm). 

With Jota heading for the exit door this summer and securing a big money transfer to Saudi Arabia, there are going to be a lot of comparisons between the Honduran star and the club’s departed winger. 

But Sutton told Luis Palma ‘he has to be his own man’ and make an impact like he did against Ross County over the weekend. 

Luis Palma impact

“Not much back lift,” said Sutton. “To get that shot off really quick and precise.

On if he needs to be a Jota: “He needs to be his own player. For him coming in and filling Jota’s boots, I don’t think he can think like that. I think he has to be his own man, make an impact, score goals and create opportunities.

“Whilst his goal was brilliant. I think if Celtic lacked anything in the game, it was that precision in the final third. He does brilliantly for the third goal because he has a little look up and his dink to James Forrest, he means it. He isn’t just crossing it into an area – he’s a little bit different, Luis Palma.

“I think he understands the sort of player he is. He isn’t blessed with the greatest of pace. What he gives Celtic, he likes to come inside on that right foot – he’s very good at that. Very good at free-kicks. He has that awareness. He has that vision.”

Luis Palma in the Champions League

It’s a credit to Palma that, within months of joining, Rodgers is dropping or resting him to the bench ahead of a very crucial Champions League tie.

The Celtic players will be making the trip to Madrid to take on Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid where the team have to get something from the game.

The last two performances, albeit they have only yielded one point, have been pretty encouraging and more should have come out of it.

But score first in Spain tomorrow night, then things could become very, very interesting.