‘Get rid of him’ – Celtic told by Dutch legend that they dodged bullet with January transfer target

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Celtic were not the most proactive they’ve ever been in January’s transfer window.

Kyogo departed and fans were frustrated when Celtic failed to land a striker to replace their Japanese star.

Kieran Tierney was also wanted before the deadline but his pre-contract agreement could not be brought forward by the club as Arsenal refused to sanction his early Emirates exit.

That was a disappointment to Brendan Rodgers but the manager moved swiftly, at least, to bring in a new left-back to compete with Greg Taylor in the form of Crystal Palace loanee Jeffrey Schlupp, 32.

Schlupp will sit down with Rodgers near the end of the campaign to discuss his long-term future having enjoyed a decent few months in Glasgow so far.

• READ MORE: Arsenal fans all saying same thing as Brendan Rodgers confirms Kieran Tierney Celtic return

PSV have been told to ‘get rid’ of ex-Celtic target Tyrell Malacia

But it could have been different for Celts who considered another defender in January.

Tyrell Malacia was a Celtic target for a loan from Manchester United and it was a move which made sense with the Dutchman having Premier League experience as well as playing more than 130 times for Feyenoord.

As it transpired, Malacia moved instead to PSV Eindhoven and Celtic landed Schlupp, and according to Dutch former player and PSV legend Rene van de Kerkhof, Rodgers and his squad may well have dodged a bullet.

Van de Kerkhof has not been impressed and, as quoted by Voetbal Zone speaking to the Omroep Brabant podcast, he let rip.

“Against Go Ahead on Saturday, all three goals conceded were big mistakes in the defense.

“A Malacia like that is really a bad buy. I don’t want to see him again!

“He should just go back to Manchester United, get rid of him. You can also blame technical director Earnest Stewart for that, he should have taken a closer look at him.”

What Celtic were told by Man United expert about Malacia

Celtic had been told what to expect from Malacia by a Man United expert from our sister site United in Focus.

The defender was always set to find it difficult for game time at Old Trafford after they signed Patrick Dorgu from Lecce.

Dan Coombs, UIF editor, told 67 Hail Hail before he joined PSV that Malacia was a strong option for his club and is a versatile star who can offer more than some.

“He’s a good player, performed very well in first season and was excellent in games against (Manchester) City and Liverpool,” Coombs said.

“He spent time at right-back occasionally too, and Erik Ten Hag liked his ability to drop from left-back into midfield.

“He was out of action for 18 months with knee injury, returned in December, played quite well, but hasn’t quite nailed down starting spot though even with Luke Shaw out.

“Is this because Amorim doesn’t rate him – or because we are taking his injury recovery carefully? That is unclear right now.

“There’s still a chance he comes back after loan and competes for a place as Shaw could switch to centre-back in the back three – but most likely loan precedes a summer sale.”