Celtic should seriously question Torino’s €10m Gvidas Gineitis valuation

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Torino have set a €10m price tag for Lithuanian midfielder Gvidas Gineitis as Celtic show interest in the young Serie A midfielder, but do the numbers actually justify spending that kind of money?

Celtic have yet to make their first signing of the summer but as the Parkhead club’s interest in Gineitis grows, is Torino’s price actually worth the money?

At just 22 years old, Gineitis has already earned experience in Italy’s top flight and 35 caps for Lithuania, and according to TuttoMercatoWeb, a fee higher than €10m would tempt Torino to sell.

But should Celtic pay the price? We decided to take a look and find out.

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Gvidas Gineitis’ Serie A numbers don’t match Torino’s asking price

Gineitis is still a young player developing in one of the top leagues in Europe, but what he is producing for Torino doesn’t quite match the €10m demand for the player as his Serie A Fotmob stats from last season show:

Attack

• 0 goals
• 1 assist
• .03 xG
• 2.35 xA
• 27 shots

Those stats don’t exactly scream out a player who is an attacking or creative force.

Passing

• 76.4%
• 37.7% long balls

Serie A midfielders normally try riskier passes in attempts to break down stubborn defences so these numbers are not too bad and would likely improve in the Scottish Premiership at Celtic.

Creativity

• 27 chances created
• 5 big chances

Again, those numbers are not disastrous, but are they €10m good?

Defence

• 45 tackles
• 22 interceptions
• 105 defensive contributions
• 54.5% duels won

This is where the conversation changes. Gineitis’ defensive work shows that if Celtic paid the asking price, the Glasgow giants are paying for an energetic, hard-working midfielder rather than a creative one.

Celtic have faced this transfer gamble before

Celtic have, at times, paid big money for players like Arne Engels, Adam Idah and Auston Trusty. But with that big price tag comes immediate expectation.

Engels and Idah have both faced more scrutiny than other Celtic players even though they have majorly contributed to the club’s most recent successes.

But Torino’s valuation asks Celtic to invest in what he might become rather than what he already is, and that makes this one of the biggest judgement calls of the summer.