Many Celtic supporters are in the dark about how things will pan out in the summer, from who will be the manager to who will be heading the recruitment.
But as Celtic toil and push for title number 56 and try to salvage this woeful campaign, an update on the club’s interest in Miguel Chaiwa has emerged.
Celtic have previously shown interest in Chaiwa, but CeltsAreHere are now reporting that interest in the Hibernian midfielder has moved ‘beyond early scouting.’
The 21-year-old is a defensive-minded midfielder by trade, so whether the Hoops sign him or not in the summer, a player of his profile is very much needed at Parkhead.
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Celtic’s interest in Miguel Chaiwa takes the next step
Chaiwa is a regular starter for Hibernian, who will play a huge part in who wins the Premiership title at the end of the season.
But CeltsAreHere have reported ‘initial negotiations’ were held in the winter for Chaiwa, but nothing materialised.
But it seems as though the champions of Scotland are not backing away because they have seemingly gone back in for the Zambia star.
It has been suggested that ‘further contact’ has been made between Celtic and Hibs, and the player himself is ‘open’ to moving to Glasgow.
How Chaiwa compares with Callum McGregor
If Celtic sign Chaiwa, then it would be a much-welcome freshness to the middle of the park, and hopefully, some weight off McGregor’s shoulders.
At the age of 32, the Celtic skipper is carrying too much pressure and expectations on his shoulders, and a declining midfield isn’t helping his cause.
But how does Chaiwa compare to McGregor in the Premiership this season?
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Celtic’s trophy-laden captain beats the Hibs man in many departments; that’s why he is one of the best in the Premiership, and has been for several years.
It needs to be noted that Chaiwa is still 21, so he has a lot of development ahead of him. When it comes to ‘Total duels won’, ‘Ground duels won’, and ‘Aerial duels won’, it’s the man from Easter Road who comes on top.
That defensive bite, ability to win the ball back, provide that physical presence, and add some legs in the midfield is what Celtic are craving.
Given McGregor’s age, he should be doing less for more. Just allow the skipper to control matches, while others around him do the dirty work, and hopefully, that’s where Chaiwa comes into the equation.
But even during a campaign when McGregor hasn’t been at his best, his average Sofascore rating for the Premiership campaign is above seven, and better than the man Celtic could bring in during the summer.
- McGregor’s games: 31
- Started: 30
- Goals: 2
- Assists: 2
- Big chances created: 5
- Key passes: 0.9
- Accurate passes in the opposition half: 91%
- Interceptions per game: 1
- Tackles per game: 1.5
- Possession won in the final third: 0.8
- Balls recovered per game: 6.1
- Dribbled past per game: 0.5
- Clearances per game: 1.3
- Blocked shots per game: 0.4
- Total duels won: 2.8
- Ground duels won: 2.3
- Aerial duels won: 0.5
- Successful dribbles: 0.5 (59%)
- Yellow cards: 8
- Touches: 80.8
- Team of the week: 5
- Sofascore rating: 7.15
- Chaiwa’s games: 22
- Started: 16
- Goals: 1
- Assists: 0
- Big chances created: 1
- Key passes: 0.4
- Accurate passes in the opposition half: 77%
- Interceptions per game: 1
- Tackles per game: 0.8
- Possession won in the final third: 0.4
- Balls recovered per game: 3.6
- Dribbled past per game: 0.6
- Clearances per game: 0.9
- Blocked shots per game: 0.1
- Total duels won: 4.6
- Ground duels won: 3.7
- Aerial duels won: 0.9
- Successful dribbles: 0.7 (80%)
- Yellow cards: 6
- Touches: 36.6
- Team of the week: 0
- Sofascore rating: 6.81
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