Former Celtic favourite John Hartson continues to be impressed by the transfer work of his old club and reckons they can easily quadruple their money on a summer signing.
Brendan Rodgers brought in eight players during Celtic’s transfer window, ranging from loan deals to the record signing of Arne Engels.
But it’s Paulo Bernardo who has caught Hartson’s eye after the midfielder performed so well in the derby victory over Rangers.
The Portuguese U21 captain signed from Benfica for just £3.5m and already looks to be a bargain having had a season of transition on loan last term.
Hartson reckons Paulo Bernardo can land Celtic big money
Hartson said [STV]: “Brendan likes signing players that he feels he can improve. Brendan’s brilliant on the training ground and he likes to work with them.
“You look at Bernardo now, who was absolutely terrific at the weekend. He’ll probably be the next £15m or £20m player to go from Celtic. He’s that good.
“Matt O’Riley was £1.5m from MK Dons a couple of years ago, you’ve got Kieran Tierney coming through from the youth team, Moussa Dembele who cost £500,000 and they sold him for £20m.
“It’s remarkable but it’s down to hard work from Brendan, his style and putting them in when they’re ready.”
Bernardo is only going to get better at Celtic
Still just 22, the midfield talent has a high ceiling on his potential. It may not quite be as high as Matt O’Riley but he can undoubtedly develop into an elite performer.
He has the trust of his manager and, increasingly, the Celtic supporters too. His all-action display in the first half against Rangers demonstrated he is not going to give up his midfield spot without a fight.
Cementing a regular spot in the starting eleven will now be his aim, as will hitting the Champions League with everything he has. If he performs against the best teams in Europe then Hartson’s profit prediction will look more like a guarantee.
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