Celtic should forget signing £4.3m target, Auston Trusty outperforms him in almost every department

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It’s no secret that Celtic want another centre-back this summer to play alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Fans have had enough of Liam Scales and Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Hayato Inamura will probably head out on loan.

Dane Murray has impressed in pre-season and could be an option, while Auston Trusty still blows hot and cold.

Celtic have been linked with Veljko Milosavljevic and are also said to be in the hunt for another defender, but the stats suggest that their latest target is one to avoid.

Celtic linked with Etienne Youte in cut-price deal

Reports have suggested that Celtic could sign Le Havre defender Etienne Youte in a cut-price deal.

Youte has been linked with Premier League clubs for as much as £10m, however, due to the French club’s financial situation, he could be signed for as little as £4.3m.

In Celtic’s case, just shy of £5m is a lot to spend on one player as the Hoops prefer to buy low and sell for profit.

The 23-year-old has been at Le Havre since 2023 after starting his career out at Troyes before joining Inter Milan as a youngster.

On the face of it, he sounds a real talent but, the stats suggest he may not be the upgrade everyone thinks.

Etienne Youte is no better than Auston Trusty

The reality is that if Youte were to come to Celtic Park, he would be challenging Scales and Trusty for their spot as a left-footed centre-back.

When you crunch the numbers with Squawka though, it’s clear that Trusty is the superior defender across a similar number of games.

It goes without saying that Celtic defend less in league matches compared to Le Havre but when Trusty is winning more ground duels, headers and tackles, questions have to be asked if Youte would be a genuine upgrade.