John Hartson backs Celtic to secure summer transfer of player with Neil Lennon-esque vibes

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The run-in is here and Celtic are about to do what they do best.

Winning trophies is in Celtic’s DNA and Brendan Rodgers has been at the heart of it for the last decade over two spells.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	31	25	3	3	92	20	72	78
2	RangersRangers	31	20	5	6	66	31	35	65
3	HibernianHibernian	31	12	11	8	48	41	7	47
4	AberdeenAberdeen	31	13	7	11	42	47	-5	46

But, whether it’s Neil Lennon in charge or the man donning the dugout now, those in the Celtic Park boardroom haven’t changed their ways in one department, and that’s recruitment.

Celtic have had huge success with transfers for a long time, and it’s going to be as important this summer, especially with the club having to qualify for the Champions League.

Even though the recent winter transfer window didn’t go down well with some supporters, at the end of the day, the Treble is still on and it hasn’t affected performances overall.

But deals have to be completed pretty early when the window re-opens because of those qualifiers, and in some cases, Celtic can help themselves.

• READ MORE: The Celtic stars out of contract in 2025 and the two who should be re-signed by Brendan Rodgers

John Hartson compares possible Jeffrey Schlupp transfer to Neil Lennon

Jeffrey Schlupp has been brilliant for Celtic following his loan move to the champions-elect from Crystal Palace.

But, his permanent signature hasn’t been secured, and Hartson is backing the idea of the left-back coming back for good next season, as he told Go Radio.

Hartson compared Schlupp to Lennon and how, playing in the Premier League and against ‘top players’, will allow him to perform better in the Scottish league, which has lesser quality.

When Lennon joined the Bhoys in 2000, he arrived after winning the League Cup with Martin O’Neill’s Leicester City and then went on to become a club legend in Glasgow.

“He has played a lot of games in the Premier League,” said Hartson. “Brendan knew what he was getting.

“When you come from that sort of quality, without sounding disrespectful, you then pick up the Scottish league level pretty quickly, because he has been playing in the Premier League up against top, top players every week. Your Man Citys, Liverpools and Arsenals. The most expensive players in the world you are up against.

“When you can get a player like a Lenny (Neil Lennon). The ones who come up from the Premier League. They tend to do very, very well, and he (Schlupp) is one of them. Brendan Rodgers says he has slotted in like a duck to water.

“Whoever is with Tierney next season will no doubt play a lot of games. Tierney wants to play, of course, but there are four competitions to play for.”

Schlupp’s stats for Celtic

Greg Taylor is now out of the picture and hardly talked about, as Schlupp is the main man for that left-back spot, including starting the win over Hearts at the weekend.

If the 32-year-old does return in the summer, then he will have stronger competition in the form of Kieran Tierney, and he might well be the starter.

But, for now, Schlupp can hold his head up high, with WhoScored rating his performances over seven.