Former Celtic player Davie Provan has made three signing suggestions for manager Neil Lennon during this January transfer window, writing in his Scottish Sun column.
The Scottish champions have already signed Patryk Klimala this month, with Odsonne Edouard, Leigh Griffiths and Vakoun Bayo also currently at the club.
However, with Bayo not pushing on this season and Griffiths only returning to scoring form this weekend, there’s an argument to say we still need a bit of added quality in the final third.
Provan is certainly a subscriber to that and thinks Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle would be an ideal candidate to make a switch to Scottish football.
Signed by the Magpies in 2016 for a £10m fee (The Guardian), he’s struggling for game time at St James’ Park this term.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Sky Sports commentator Provan said: “Given how tight the Premiership is just now, I’m guessing Lenny would have asked Nick Hammond to find him a striker who has nothing to prove, someone whose numbers have consistently stacked up.
“In the same way Jermain Defoe has done the business for Rangers, there are strikers in England who would do Celts a turn in the short term.
“Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle is one of them. Recently linked with a move to Ibrox, Gayle scored 23 goals on loan at West Brom last season.
“Now bombed out by Toon boss Steve Bruce, he’d surely fancy a shift in Glasgow.”
Is another striker really needed?
Personally, I’d rather Lennon and his coaching staff focus on getting Klimala up to speed, focused and playing in the starting eleven over the next few weeks.
It’s been made quite clear that Griffiths is not for sale or loan this month, with Lennon also telling reporters he has no inclination to let Bayo leave either (The Scottish Sun).
If neither of those players are on the move then the idea of signing a fifth striker seems a bit ridiculous, even though the players that Provan mentions could likely do a turn in Scottish football.
We’re only a season removed from Gayle scoring 24 goals in the English Championship, after all (Transfermarkt).
If there’s a budget loan deal to make in the final days of the transfer window then it wouldn’t hurt to bring in some mercenary goal firepower.
Right now though, I’d suggest Lennon already has the personnel in place to score the goals that will fire us to more trophies this season.
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