Celtic may miss out on Hibernian talent Ofir Marciano, with the Daily Record reporting that Hapoel Be’er Sheva are keen to sign him.
The Israeli shot-stopper has been reportedly monitored by Celtic in the past [Edinburgh Live]. The Hibs goalkeeper is also said to be a close friend of current Hoops man Nir Bitton.
However, despite the fact Celtic have been unable to rely on a consistent number one this season, the Record believes there has been no contact with the Easter Road side regarding a move for Ofir.
Instead, the Record states that Hapoel Be’er Sheva are keen on making a move. It’s though that they’re leading the chase to sign him, with Marciano having rejected a new Hibs contract in recent weeks.
So far this season, Marciano has only conceded 28 goals in 31 games, with 13 clean sheets to his name. He’s also a regular with Israel, securing 24 international caps to his name [Transfermarkt].
Ofir Marciano remains a solid option, but Celtic wise to wait until new manager is appointed
Make no mistake, this isn’t a deal that would be similar to signing a Liam Shaw. It would be different from securing the likes of Kyle Joseph or Kwadwo Baah. This would be anything but a long-term project.
At 31, Marciano would be an option expected to compete for the number one jersey immediately. He would be looked at to put Vasilis Barkas under pressure from the moment he signed. And even though we’re perhaps in danger of missing out on his clear shot-stopping abilities, it’s too important a signing to rush into.
Signing the likes of Shaw is all well and good without a permanent manager. But it has to be down to the new man to decide what he wants to do with the goalkeeping department. There may be a certain style of goalkeeper he wants whose mould wouldn’t be fitted by Marciano.
Yes, there is an element of low-risk attached to this. Considering he hasn’t signed a new contract, Marciano can leave for nothing at the end of the season. Celtic could snap up a pre-contract move without having to pay a penny in transfer cash. But even so, that would be four shot-stoppers at the club. It would force the manager to get rid of two if he wanted another in the door.
If Marciano is in a rush to sort his future out, Celtic are as well moving on from monitoring him permanently. But if he’s itching to join Bitton and co at Parkhead, he would be as well waiting it out and seeing if anything arrives onto his table.
Celtic, however, for all of their criticisms, are doing the right thing by not moving just yet.
In other news, this Celtic youngster is set to complete a dream March tomorrow.
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