Emilio Izaguirre is taking a real interest in the fortunes of Luis Palma at Celtic.
The pair are strongly connected as the only two Hondurans to have played for the Hoops. As we’ve covered, they have a good relationship and spoke ahead of our current star’s recent move from Aris Thessaloniki.
Palma is still getting properly settled into life in Glasgow. But he has made a pretty positive start, netting speculative goals in our two most recent league games and having a terrific goal against Lazio cruelly ruled out by VAR.
There’s certainly been a fair bit happening with Palma in recent weeks, and Izaguirre doesn’t seem to have missed much of it.
“I am very proud of Luis,” he said to AS Sports in Honduras. (transcribed by El Heraldo)
“He starts as a starter in the Champions League, in the league he scores a goal, comes on as a substitute in the Champions League and plays a great game.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t give him the goal against Lazio due to offside and he also scored on Saturday and that makes me feel proud of someone that I have recommended because he raises the name of Honduras.
“He always talked to him and I always try to send him messages. Finally, congratulate him and continue putting in, continue taking care of yourself on and off the pitch to be a great professional.”
It’s been an interesting start made to life by Palma. He didn’t exactly catch fire in his first few appearances for the club, but his last few games have been far more productive.
Had Daizen Maeda not got the slightest of touches just before the ball fell for the Honduran against Lazio, he would have had three goals including one in the UEFA Champions League. He would already have produced a bigger moment at that level than any of his team-mates.
As it is, he still has two domestic strikes and a growing reputation. Perhaps the biggest issue I, and other Celtic fans, have been guilty of so far is wanting to compare him to Jota — the man he was clearly brought in to replace.
Jota was a fabulous footballer — an extremely quick and nimble flair winger. Palma is evidently not that kind of player. He is more likely to take a shock from distance or work the ball inside and find a neat pass.
I saw him described somewhere online as a hybrid of Shunsuke Nakamura and Scott Sinclair, and that seems pretty apt. When you realise that’s the kind of player he is, and forget the Jota comparison, it’s much easier to enjoy him.
In other news, Celtic, Scottish football and the slow death of the away day
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