The recent report in West London Sport linking Hearts striker Uche Ikpeazu with a move to Celtic was certainly very intriguing, for a number of reason.
For a start, it seems that despite having three strikers at the club, Neil Lennon wants at least another one to arrive at the club.
He must feel that Celtic can improve by adding another striker to the side. That makes sense, as of the three strikers at the club, only Odsonne Edouard is finding the back of the net on a regular basis.
Interestingly, Ikpeazu isn’t the most prolific striker for Hearts. He only scored 10 goals last season. However, perhaps any move for the player is an indication that Celtic are going to change their playing style this season.
So far, Celtic have played with one man up-front this season. For the most part that has worked, up until the last two league results against Hibs and Livingston.
Hoops recently struggled to create chances
In those fixtures, Livingston especially, the Hoops struggled to create chances. Perhaps after watching those two games, Lennon wants to change how Celtic set up.
It might not work playing Ikpeazu as a lone striker, as he doesn’t score enough goals. Perhaps the Hoops are eventually planning to play two strikers.
Could two strikers work well together?
Could Ikpeazu work well in a partnership with Odsonne Edouard? Perhaps. The players could interchange in the partnership. One could spend time outside the box, with the other playing as a penalty box finisher, and vice versa.
If Celtic are planning to changing their system though, it would be a good idea to test it before Ikpeazu or any other striker signs for the club.
Should the move to two strikers work, then it would make sense to bring Ikpeazu to the club, perhaps in January. It seems like there could be changes when it comes to Celtic’s front-line, only time will tell if Ikpeazu is involved.
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