John Hartson says Brendan Rodgers ‘needs’ centre-backs after he reacted to the suggestion of whether Celtic should swoop in for Harry Souttar before Friday’s transfer deadline day.
The Celtic legend thinks that there could be a ‘surprise’ in the offing ahead of the game against Rangers on Sunday and that’s an unfamiliar face starting at centre-back, alongside Gustaf Lagerbielke, with the champions ‘decimated’ with injuries, as he told Go Radio.
Whilst Hartson wasn’t sure about Leicester City’s out-of-favour centre-back, Harry Souttar coming in. He did throw Alistair Johnston’s name into the hat to start the Glasgow derby at centre-back.
Of course, if the Bhoys bring in somebody before the deadline, as of this moment, things are moving very slowly, then that individual might get thrown into the deep end and told to start alongside Lagerbielke.
But, more than likely, that isn’t going to happen, so with key players out, Brendan Rodgers has a big call to make and he hasn’t been helped by the dropped points against St Johnstone – Liam Scales, who started at centre-back, came under fire from fans, according to Pat Bonner.
Hartson shared his thoughts on all of this and if his former side could possibly ‘swoop in’ for Souttar, who could be heading for the Scottish Premiership.
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“I don’t know what Harry Souttar is thinking,” said Hartson. “I don’t know whether Brendan thinks he’s a good fit. You are right, Celtic need centre-backs.
“Nawrocki is injured, he is out for a while. We might see a complete change. You have got Alistair Johnston, who might move into a centre-half position and Ralston will start because of Johnston’s ability to play on that right-back as well as he does, I haven’t seen him at centre-back.
“But Brendan might put a surprise in and might play him alongside Lagerbielke at the weekend, with Taylor at left-back, that’s all I am thinking. We are decimated. I am not making excuses.”
Should Celtic target Souttar?
Back in January, Rodgers, in a world of trouble with Leicester City in the Premier League, was pushing the powers that be at the King Power Stadium to sign Souttar.
Added to his positive performances for Stoke City, he also had a strong World Cup for Australia, so his transfer to Leicester wasn’t a surprise and a deserved one.
But Rodgers only worked with the hard-hitting centre-back for a few months before leaving in April, with the Foxes suffering relegation soon after.
Will the Northern Irishman now push the Celtic board to try and sign Souttar given the club’s issues at the back?
The issue here is that investment has already been made in those positions this summer, so if other areas of the pitch are prioritised instead, then you couldn’t blame the board and it wouldn’t be a surprise.