Peter Grant reckons Celtic’s Asian Cup solution lies close to home

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Peter Grant has been discussing the idea of Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland making a move to Celtic.

Grant, who played for Celtic from 1982 until 1997, was full of praise for Shankland. The in-form striker was also recently tipped by pundit Mark Guidi with a move to Celtic in January.

Shankland continued to impress last night with a late-headed goal, earning Scotland a 2-2 draw against Georgia in Tbilisi. The Scottish striker was substituted on late in the game, and despite having very little time to make an impact, took his chance, further proving that he is in the form of his career.

With current Celtic strikers Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and Hyengou Oh all away at the Asian Cup in January, Celtic will be without a recognized striker. This has led to talk of a potential move for Shankland in January, especially with Brendan Rodgers previously stating that buying a new striker in January is a priority.

Moving for Shankland could be an astute bit of business given his proven track record in the Scottish Premiership. However, a potential move could prove difficult to agree upon with Hearts.

His current form and the fact that Celtic are a domestic rival might lead to Hearts demand an inflated transfer fee despite Shankland being 28 years old.

Grant is a fan if the forward, stating [The Go Radio Football Show]: “If he was playing for a Celtic or Rangers he would be in the (Scotland) squad constantly. I think his all round game has improved (at Hearts) but I’m delighted to see him back scoring goals, because that is what he does exceptionally well.”

He continued: “If you want to win competitions you need a goal scorer and you can’t go along with one. Take the Celtic scenario with the Kyogo incident on Sunday, he could be out for weeks with the protocol. Oh has done exceptionally well and he works really hard but these teams have always had guys who would score have six chances and score four.”

Pressed on the Asian Cup scenario, Grant went on: “That’s where I think he’s at that level when you talk about strikers who play for Celtic and Rangers.”

Grant clearly believes that Shankland would fit in well at Celtic, and he isn’t wrong. The Scottish striker has proven time and time again that he possesses that knack for finding the back of the net.

Celtic can’t afford to gamble with a striker in January without pedigree, and that adds to the attraction of a move for Shankland. The fact that he is now scoring for Scotland makes the noise around him increase more and more.