Celtic’s transfer business is all the talk at the moment.
Even in the build up to Celtic’s game at Rangers, the club’s transfer news still dominated the headlines.
Celtic announced Michel-Ange Balikwisha after a year-long chase ended this week with the Belgian finally becoming a Bhoys player.
Marcelo Saracchi also joined Celtic on loan as the Uruguayan defender comes in to bolster the Hoops’ back line this season.
But it’s in the striking department where Rodgers really needs to strengthen and the Celtic manager has been told he could be about to sign a striker who is ‘lethal’.
Celtic-linked Kasper Dolberg’s ‘curious career’
Celtic’s links to Kasper Dolberg hit the headlines this week after the Parkhead club’s search for a striker ramped up.
The Anderlecht frontman appears to be Celtic’s number one target so 67 Hail Hail contacted Danish football expert Toke Theilade, editor of vilfortpark.dk to ask his opinion on the Danish international striker.
Theilade told 67 Hail Hail, “He’s had a bit of a curious career. Obviously, he was highly regarded when he broke through for Ajax and was a profile on the incredible team with Frenkie de Jong, De Ligt, Van de Beek etc that went to the Europa League final against Manchester United.
“However, this was also the peak for him at the club. He never reached the level of his debut season again, and eventually they lost patience and hope for him, which is why he moved to Nice.
“Obviously, he hasn’t performed on the pitch until he joined Anderlecht, but he is also a guy that can be a bit hard to trust. When you look at him, he can come off as lazy and entitled. He doesn’t look like a hard worker dedicated to his craft, and I think this rubs some coaches the wrong way. It is simply easy to misunderstand him.”
Kasper Dolberg would be a ‘lethal’ striker for Celtic
Celtic-linked Dolberg was considered to be a bit of a wonderkid when he first broke through at Silkeborg in 2015. A huge move to Ajax followed and then on to Nice in 2019.
But since then, Dolberg has fallen off the radar. That doesn’t bother Theilade, as he still believes Celtic will be getting a very good striker if Rodgers can get this signing over the line.
Theilade continued, “As a player, Dolberg is a classic poacher. His finishing and scoring instincts are at a high level and they are his big strengths.
“His positioning in the box is great as well and he knows how to find open space. He is decent at a lot of things. His pace, technique, passing and aerial abilities are all fine, but just doesn’t stand out. He’s not a guy I would want too involved in the build-up, but if you can get him around the goal then he’ll be lethal.
“Mentally though, he’ll need support. He is a quiet guy and he needs coaches that believe in him and build him up a bit. He’s had those “tough love” coaches before, and it doesn’t help him.
“I think the fact that Celtic already has Schmeichel is a big help for him. They played together at both Anderlecht and Nice.
“I’m a bit surprised that he could be moving to Celtic to be honest. I thought he was happy at Anderlecht, and given his career it seems risky to move away from the only situation where he has thrived his entire career.
“I think he should do well at Celtic though. He is a good player, and he can definitely find the back of the net so 15+ goals per season should be the expectation if he plays regularly.”
Going by these comments, it appears that Brendan Rodgers will be the perfect coach for Dolberg as the Celtic boss’ man-management skills are second-to-none.
As ever, Celtic supporters will need to wait to see if this deal will be seen over the line by the club. But going by what they have seen this summer, many won’t get their hopes up.
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